


Fire in the Sky

by tess1978



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Angry Sex, Angst, Angst and Porn, Assumptions, Beards, Blow Jobs, Body Worship, Breast Fucking, Breasts, Canon-Typical Violence, Cunnilingus, F/M, Face-Sitting, Jealousy, Lactation, Lactation Kink, Love Bites, Male-Female Friendship, Masturbation, Masturbation in Shower, Mile High Club, Miscommunication, Oral Sex, People who can't communicate, Porn, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Sleep, Sleeping Together, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Sex, Smut, Spoilers, Tragedy, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-12 17:22:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 36,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5674336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tess1978/pseuds/tess1978
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of Nora Sullivan and Elder Arthur Maxson of the Brotherhood of Steel. Their fiery passion for each other may well end with the entire Commonwealth in flames.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Brotherhood of Steel

**Author's Note:**

> There will be major and minor story spoilers in later chapters, although I don't really plan on detailing the game story too much because honestly if you want to know what happens, just play it. 
> 
> Also, this fic started life on falloutkinkmeme as a lactation fill. As such, it starts off pretty smutty because Arthur Maxson is hot as balls. However, he's a hard character to like. I am trying to explore his character as a human. I have very mixed feelings about Arthur Maxson, and I can't really think of a way where any relationship with him would end positively. If you're just here for the smut (and I can't blame you), I would stick to the first several chapters. I will try to post a warning before things go downhill.
> 
> Tags will be added as they become appropriate or as I think of them.
> 
> Also, I would like to mention that this is the first thing I have written other than grocery lists, for nearly twenty years. So please, if there's anything I can do better, I am very open to suggestions and comments.

It had been two hard weeks. And all for nothing.

Nora Sullivan paused before pushing open the door. She'd traced her six week old son as far as Kellogg, only to find out that he had no way of getting into the Institute. Or at least he claimed that he didn't. And now, he was dead. So even if he was lying, there was no way to find out. 

She thought back on the last two weeks, the desperate struggle out of the Vault, finding her way through her ruined neighbourhood and on to Concord, then the difficult hike to Diamond City. She'd only paused once along the way, to help out some kind of military group at an old police station find a replacement part for their radio. The officer there, one Paladin Danse, had offered her a place in their organization, and possibly help. But she thought she might have better luck in this Diamond City, so she brushed him off and said she would come back if she changed her mind. 

It turned out she had made the right choice, as the detective who she had found had got her this far. But no further. She rubbed her chest absently.

Nora wasn't sure what she was going to do now. It seemed like a dead end.

She took a deep breath, and opening the door, stepped out into the bright morning sun.

***

It took Nora a second to wrap her head around what she was seeing. It was a goddamn airship of all things. Massive, and surrounded by an escort of several vertibirds, a loud announcement was booming from some kind of loudspeaker. "We are the Brotherhood of Steel. We come in peace."

Nora's mouth dropped open. It was the most stunning thing she had ever seen. The enormous airship soared past, roaring and shining in the sun. All she could do was stare as it went past. She couldn't help but follow it, but she was stopped by the railing. 

Was this, then, the Brotherhood of Steel from that police station? She didn't realize what kind of people she was dealing with. Well one thing she knew. Anyone who could build that kind of a machine these days was bound to be able to find a way into the Institute. With a new hint of determination, she headed towards Cambridge.

***

It had taken most of the day, but she managed to make it to the police station just as the sun was setting. She was out of breath a little as she asked the first person she saw where she could find Danse. He was just inside the entrance. 

"I'm in. I'll join" she told him, before he could even speak.

"Outstanding, Soldier." he replied. "Actually, your timing couldn't have been better. I was just about to head up to the Prydwen, as the vertibird has just arrived. Why don't you come with me, and I will introduce you to our Elder. Follow me"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and stomped up the stairs, expecting her to follow. And she did.


	2. First Night

Nora had been on a vertibird before. Her husband had been in the military when she met him, after all. But she had never seen Boston like this, ruined and rusting, as they soared towards the ship. The Prydwen, Danse had called it, pride apparent in every word he spoke. 

They stepped off of the vertibird and were greeted by an officer who advised them that they were just in time for the Elder's evening address, after which he wanted to speak with the new recruit. They headed up some stairs and through a door, and onto the Command Deck. 

"Stand still and pay attention." Danse whispered to Nora, straightening his already ramrod straight back and facing his eyes forward.

Nora halted at the sight of the Elder. If you could call him that. His thick beard, scar, and heavy brows only momentarily distracted from the fact that he was very clearly a young man, probably somewhere in his mid twenties. He was tall, broad shoulders made broader by the heavy sheepskin coat he was wearing. His dark hair was cut short on the sides, and longer on top, swept back from his face. He had a bit of a hooked nose, and dark circles under his blue eyes. Clearly the stress of being a leader at such a young age was getting to him. 

She barely listened as he strode back and forth in front of the bay of windows, pounding his fist in his palm to emphasise his words. His speech was about how they had come to destroy the Institute, and it had clearly been practised, but despite that, Nora couldn't help but get caught up in his fervour. As he spoke, he caught the eye of everyone in the room one by one, and as his eyes caught hers, she felt her nipples tighten. 

*** 

Arthur Maxson finished his evening speech. He had noticed the woman come in with Danse, dressed in a tight blue Vault suit. She had some kind of old helmet on her head and a few pieces of scavenged leather armour strapped on her body. She was not very tall, her head barely reaching the Brotherhood emblem stencilled on Danse's power armour. But her bright blue suit did nothing to hide her generous curves. Unconsciously, he had straightened his back and squared his shoulders at the sight of her. He tried to keep his eyes off of her during his speech but gave in near the end, his gaze meeting hers and causing his mouth to go dry. Good thing he was almost finished speaking.

He had received the report Danse had radioed in when they made contact and he had been impressed with her actions at Arcjet. He had been surprised a few minutes earlier when he had been advised that the Vault dweller had shown up just that evening and asked to join. He wondered if the sight of the magnificent airship had been the deciding factor.

None of these thoughts showed on his face as he dismissed the crew. He clasped his hands behind his back, and turning to face the glass, waited for the crew to file out, leaving Danse and the Vault dweller behind. He took a moment to compose himself and his thoughts before turning to face them. 

"I care about them, you know. The people of the Commonwealth." he said softly.

"It looks more like you are preparing for war" Nora replied.

He frowned.

"The Brotherhood is here to prevent a war by starting one of our own. The difference is, our war won't reduce civilization to ashes."

Nora thought for a minute. She needed these people's help. And it looks like their target aligned with hers. Maybe it would be best not to get on their bad side by engaging in a philosophical debate just now. So she just nodded her head and waited for him to continue. 

"I read Paladin Danse's report. You couldn't get a better recommendation. So from this moment on, I am granting you the rank of Knight, with a suit of power armour befitting that rank. Wear it with pride"

Nora couldn't believe what she was hearing. A knight? What? Maybe nearly twenty four hours without sleep and barely a care for her personal needs had gotten to her. She swayed a little on her feet, but managed to stammer out "Yes, sir."

"Now, Danse will show you to your bunk in the crew quarters. Report to the flight deck in the morning to receive your orders. Dismissed." Maxson turned to the window, once again.

***

Nora followed Danse out and up to the next deck. There he showed her the privy, the mess hall where she could get something to eat, and finally her bunk in the barracks. He saluted her and took his leave. 

She looked at her spot. At least it was a real bed, and clean. Unlike anywhere else she had slept in the last two weeks. _More like the last two centuries_ she thought to herself.

She slowly peeled off her armour pieces and began unzipping her dirty Vault suit, reaching into her bag for the item she had carried with her since she found it in a cardboard box with her name on it in Vault 111... her breast pump. She paused, looking around. The room was quiet, six beds in two rows, each with a footlocker and a night-stand. There were two people sleeping, a man and a woman, and two more talking quietly to each other as they sat polishing boots and mending uniforms. Clearly a co-ed barracks. Nora grabbed her bag and headed through the mess hall to the privy. 

Shaun was only six weeks old when they had been frozen in the Vault. It may have been two centuries, but as far as her body was concerned, she was still nursing a newborn. She had only stopped once along the way today, to eat some scavenged food and relieve the pressure in her swollen breasts. And that was over twelve hours ago. She didn't feel much like facing her new crewmates with her tit hanging out. 

Once within the privacy of the privy, she carefully applied the pump to her breast, gratefully relieving the pressure in her aching teats. 

***

It seemed to have quieted down considerably in the half hour since she had left. At first she thought the mess hall was empty. But then she noticed Elder Maxson in the corner, a glass and a bottle of whiskey in front of him. He looked up as she passed by. Their eyes met. 

She paused. He looked at her. Considering. Then, with one eyebrow raised in a question, he nudged the bottle in her direction slightly. 

_What the hell._ Nora thought. _I could use a drink after the day I've had_

Looking around, she spied a few extra glasses on a nearby counter. She grabbed one, then sat down. 

"I thought I ought to get to know my newest crew member" he said.

Nora looked at him a moment, sizing him up. His coat hung on the back of his chair, and he was dressed all in a black uniform that clung to his broad shoulders. 

"I recently came out of a Vault." she said, finally, taking a swig. She gasped as it burned in her throat.

"I can see that"

She didn't answer. She just looked at her glass for a moment, then, grimacing, took another drink, emptying it.

"I knew someone else from a Vault once"

Nora didn't look up from her glass. But she could feel his eyes on her, deep blue under dark brows. 

***

Arthur stared at her, trying to will her to look at him. His pulse began to race. He couldn't think of anything to say. So he just stared at her. He took note of her hair, hidden under a helmet earlier. It was dark brown, almost the same colour as his own, and caught up into some kind of tangle on the back of her head. His eyes drifted down over her high cheekbones, dusted with a smattering of freckles, and came to rest on her bosom, filling out her suit nicely. Although he did note it was quite dirty, and had some small rips here and there. He tried to look away, but his eyes kept coming back to her chest, which was hitching occasionally as she breathed. He felt an uncomfortable tightening in his loins, and adjusted slightly in his seat. 

Suddenly he reached out and pulled a leaf out of her hair. It was all he could think of to get his mind off track. "Go see Proctor Teagan in the morning about a clean uniform" he said brusquely. Her eyes shot to his, and he noticed a flush rising in her cheeks. Was that anger... or embarrassment? He wasn't sure. He tried to fix the situation. "It looks a bit uncomfortable" he said.

Nora just took a final drink, polishing off the whiskey in her glass. She stood up. "I better get some sleep," she said. "Good night." And with that, she turned on her heel and strode away, round bottom swaying slightly in her blue jumpsuit. Arthur swallowed hard, and then finishing his own drink, headed to his room.

*** 

Entering his quarters, Arthur threw his coat on the desk, stripped off his jumpsuit and then crawled into his bed. His skin felt tight. He rolled over on his side, facing the wall, and adjusted his shorts. He didn't remember the last time he had responded like this to a female. He had had a few encounters with initiates and such when he was a teenager, but he took care to make sure he never dallied with anyone of a lower rank than him. So as had risen up in the Brotherhood, the pool of possible companionship had dwindled to nothing. And as his duties had taken over he had had less and less time to even think of such things. But today when Nora Sullivan had strode onto his command deck, a fire had started in his belly that had yet to be quenched.

He scrunched his eyes shut as he tried hard not to think of her in that blue suit clinging to every curve. He tried not to think of how tight it was in the chest or how it would look to see the zipper slowly lower as her breasts were freed. His hand crept to his shorts as he tried not to think of them popping free and into his waiting mouth...

But then he stopped trying.

***

Nora lay in her bed. What a strange encounter. She had found herself quite tongue tied in Elder Maxson's presence. He was so commanding, but so young. The memory of his eyes on her made heat rise in her face. He had been staring at her chest and he told her to get different clothing. She suddenly wondered if she had milk stains on her jumpsuit. Maybe that was why he was staring. 

_I want him to stare for other reasons_ the thought popped unexpectedly into her mind.

Her heart sped up a bit. At first she shied away from the thought. But then she pictured his eyes darkening in desire as he looked at her. He really was hot as all hell, with his stern authoritative presence and tall, overpowering physique. She pictured his hands, rough, reaching into her suit and touching her...

Her hand slid to her breast, and she felt a small drop of liquid on her fingertip. Her other hand began to snake its way down towards her belly, but a sudden cough from a Brotherhood member made her halt. She sighed in frustration, but finally fell asleep, her hand still cupping her breast.


	3. Then and Now

The next morning, Nora reported to the flight deck as ordered. She didn’t know what was in store for her, but it turned out she was just required to tour the Prydwyn with Danse and familiarize her with the different areas and routines, as well as to report for a medical, which just turned out to be a rather odd set of questions. 

During the course of the day, she frequently caught sight of the Elder, as he went about his business checking in on the various departments and receiving updates and reports. She tried not to ogle him as he stood, wide stanced, glowering at whoever he was talking to at any given time. But he didn’t seem to be taking any notice of her, so she carried on with her day, trying to concentrate as Danse boasted about all aspects of the airship and crew he clearly considered to be his home and family.

***

Nora was exhausted as she finished up stowing her kit that evening. It was quite late by the time Danse had taken his leave and her breasts were heavy and swollen. It was with no small sense of anticipation and relief that she headed to the privy with her pump.

At first the physical relief was the only thing she thought of. But it wasn’t long before her mind wandered to Elder Maxson as the pump pulled and released her nipples. She forced her thoughts away, tried to think of Shaun, of Nate. Nate had been a fling. She had met him at a bar the night she graduated from law school, and had gotten together a few times after that. They had really only married because she found out she was pregnant. They got along fine, but whatever small spark had been there in the beginning was gone. If it hadn’t been for Shaun, they would have long since parted. 

Shaun was the love of her life. For him she would do anything, even endure a dull marriage to an even more tedious man.

Even head out across an irradiated ruined city to track down and murder her son’s kidnapper.

As the pressure slowly lowered, she started to think, really think, of the situation she was in. Her son was gone, probably to the institute. There was no way of knowing how long he had been there. However, Nick had said Kellogg had been in the company of an older boy, and Kellogg had said that her son was older than she thought. It seemed likely that Nate's death had occurred months or even years earlier. It was possible she was searching for an older child. Not an infant at all.

For a long minute, she looked at the milk she had extracted. Milk that was meant, she had to admit, for a baby that was unlikely to ever nurse from her again. A tear rolled down her cheek, landing on her hand. He wouldn't even remember her. 

Suddenly she was gripped with a burst of rage, and she flung the pump at the bulkhead, sinking her face into her hands and weeping into her palms, quietly but harshly, breath catching in her throat, and snot running from her nose. 

After a long time, her tears tapered off, and Nora was left feeling worn and empty. She looked around at the mess. Luckily, nobody had come in during this time. She checked her Pip-boy... it had been over an hour, and it was well past eleven. With a sigh, she got up and began cleaning up a mess.

Burying the last few pieces of the smashed pump under some rubbish in the trash bin, Nora took a deep breath and headed back out into the public area.

***.

Nora took a deep breath as she exited the privy. Upon arriving in the mess hall, her eyes automatically went to the spot she had shared a drink with Maxson the evening before. He was sitting there again, whiskey at hand. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out “Mind if I join you?” His eyebrow raised, but he nodded. Nora grabbed a glass and sat on the chair next to him.

She was still angry, but the burn of the whiskey as she swallowed it calmed her nerves a little. 

“I wanted to apologize” she said. “About last night. If I seemed rude. I was just really tired. I hadn’t slept in nearly twenty four hours, and my mind was a little fuzzy.”

Maxson grunted in response but didn’t say anything. 

Nora sighed. “You asked me about my Vault.” she said. “Well, it was a cryosleep experiment or something. They rushed me and… my neighbors into the Vault the day the bombs fell. But somehow, I woke up two weeks ago. And made my way out. Everyone else…” her breath caught. “Everyone I know is dead” 

With that, she continued telling him some of her story, leaving out any mention of Nate or Shaun. She told him she had been sheltering in a bunker when the Prydwyn had passed overhead and she had decided to follow it. 

***

Arthur listened to her story, taken aback. He almost expected her to start crying at some point during the tale, but she remained dry eyed. He had taken note of her red eyes when she had sat down. Maybe she’d been crying in the bathroom.

 

Without thinking, he reached out and took her hand in his. Her hand was small and warm and soft, not as rough as most people’s hands. He squeezed it gently. He looked into her eyes for what seemed like a heartbeat, and an eternity, before she suddenly pulled away and reached again for her glass. Lifting it in a toast, she said “Well, you know all about me. Why don’t you tell me about yourself.”

***

An hour later, Nora was in bed. She had listened as he had haltingly told her about his background. He was even younger than she had suspected, only twenty years old. She was nine years older than him. Amazing how he had come so far so quickly. She had listened to his voice, noting that it was smoother than one would expect coming from such a rough face, his thick beard and menacing scar conjuring up vague thoughts of pirates. She had watched his mouth as he talked. She’d had to tear her eyes away frequently to look at her glass. She’d had more to drink than she would have liked, in an effort to control her thoughts. 

 

Eventually she had noticed the warmth which was spreading from her belly and throughout her whole body was making her tingle uncomfortably, so she told him she really ought to get to bed, and as quickly as she could, departed.

Now, Nora lay in her bunk. She wet her lips, and imagined his mouth on hers. On her body. Her hand lay twitching at her belly, held back by the snores around her from doing anything.

***

Arthur, for his part, had not noticed her staring at his mouth. He had been too busy staring at her chest, rising and falling as he spoke. It was probably his imagination, but it seemed like sometimes, her breathing had sped up as he had rambled on, unthinking. She was probably bored by his spiel. Definitely bored. She had suddenly had enough and got up, making an excuse to leave. He wondered why she had even joined him in the first place. 

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, before getting ready for bed. He lay on his back, one arm over his eyes. His thoughts drifted to her hand, so warm and soft. he clenched his fist. He imagined her hand sliding up his arm, across his chest, and lower. He pictured himself undressing her. The orange jumpsuit she wore today clung just as tightly as the blue one had. 

He took himself in hand, but in his mind it was her hand that brought him release.


	4. Asking for help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nora asks too much of a twenty year old.

If the first day watching Nora walk around the Prydwyn was bad, the second one was absolute torture. 

He had assigned her and Danse to prepare for a mission the following day by preparing their weapons and power armour. They were going to go to Fort Strong and retrieve some mini-nukes from some super mutants. Danse was going over the ins and out of power armour with her, sitting close by her side as he pointed out servos and wiring that needed attention. 

Arthur had come down to the power armour hanger on some pretense, but was now stuck listening to Proctor Ingram make some kind of complaint as he tried not to stare. Nora was kneeling on the floor behind her armour, using a small screwdriver on the ankle, as Danse reached over and adjusted her grip. Arthur scowled. 

Nora leaned further forward, causing her breasts to strain even more than normal against her jumpsuit. Arthur gritted his teeth. 

“Elder?” His eyes shot back to Ingram. “Can we send a team to requisition these supplies?” 

 

“Yes.” he cleared his throat. “Yes, absolutely”

He had no idea what she was talking about. 

He looked back at Nora, just as she looked up. When she saw him, the corners of her mouth turned up in a tiny smile. 

And just like that, like the sun coming out from a cloud, his mood lifted. 

***

Nora lay in her bed that night. Her eyes were clenched shut. Her breasts ached and throbbed and she regretted smashing her pump. Her mind raced. The swelling was so uncomfortable. She tried to think of some solution. Frustrated, she tossed her bedding aside and sat up. Maybe she could hand express some of it. 

Clad in her t-shirt and a pair of shorts, she headed to the bathroom. She sat on the toilet, and lifting her shirt, attempted to relieve some of the pressure. She managed to squeeze out a few drops, but it was to no avail. Gritting her teeth, she decided that maybe she could find some kind of cloth to wrap herself in. 

Just as had happened the last two nights, she left the privy only to find Arthur Maxson sitting in his usual spot. This time, his bottle sat next to two glasses. When he saw her, he poured the second glass. 

Despite her better judgement, Nora sat down. 

“This is becoming a tradition” he said to her in a low voice.   
Nora reached for the glass, wincing as her sensitive nipple brushed the table top. 

“What’s the matter?” Arthur asked.

Nora stared into the amber liquid. Without thinking, she told him the rest of her story. How they had shot Nate and taken Shaun right in front of her. How she had tracked down Kellogg and killed him, only to find herself at a dead end. 

“When we locate the Institute, we’ll locate your son,” he promised. “ I only wish there were something I can do to help you now”

Her eyes shot to his. Despite the emotional pain of losing Shaun, her physical pain was foremost in her mind right now. Maybe…

She took a deep breath, and licked her lips. “There is this one thing... “ her voice shook and she trailed off.

“I...I’m in a lot of pain. Shaun is… was… Well… when we went into the Vault, he was only six weeks old.” She swallowed nervously. “I was still nursing him.”

He glanced down at the front of her shirt. Jesus… a wet spot was forming right there. He hardened instantly. 

“I broke my… pump… I can’t ease the pressure myself…”

He looked at her. Her face was red and she couldn’t meet his eyes. He felt the blood rise in his own face as it dawned on him what she was asking.

“Do you… need...uh… me…” Arthur looked around the mess hall, suddenly panicked at the thought of someone coming in.

Nora got to her feet. “Maybe the bathroom” she whispered. She headed that way. Arthur took a swig of the whiskey in his glass and standing, followed her.

***

 _Oh god what have I done?_ Nora thought as she went into the privy, Arthur following behind. She couldn’t look at him as he entered, shutting the door behind him. She tried to look anywhere but his face. Her heart beat in her throat. She didn’t know if it was from embarrassment or sudden anticipation.

After a moment, she realized he hadn’t said anything. She took a deep, shuddering breath and took a step towards him. She had never stood this close to him before. Her eyes rested just below his collarbone. He was wearing just his black Brotherhood jumpsuit, having left his distinctive jacket in the mess hall. 

Another breath, then she finally turned her face up to him. “Where do you want me?” She whispered.

 _Everywhere_ he thought. But instead he said, “Uh… maybe just up on the sink. Here I’ll help…” 

He reached out, and picked her up like she was nothing, and set her on the sink. He pulled his hands back like he’d been burned. 

Arthur cleared his throat. His eyes drifted downwards to her curves. At his gaze, Nora felt something almost like a pop, and warmth flooded her bra. His eyes widened as the spot on her t-shirt spread. 

“I better…” Nora began, but didn’t finish. Grabbing the edge of her shirt with her hands, she pulled it off over her head. A curl of dark hair fell out of its place and rolled lazily down her breast, drawing Arthur’s eye. Nora leaned forward slightly, and stretching her arms behind her, she released the clasp of her bra and then shook it down her arms, freeing her breasts with a sigh. 

A tiny sound escaped Arthur. He tentatively raised one hand, hesitating, unsure if he should touch her or wait for further invitation. As he watched, a small white bead formed on one nipple. His hand reached out, cupping her. He brushed his thumb across her nipple. She gasped slightly. He brought his thumb to his mouth. 

The taste was sweeter than he expected. His groin throbbed. Without another thought, he leaned forward and clamped his mouth over her. One tentative flick of his tongue, then he sucked. Hard. 

Nora moaned. Her back arched slightly as his mouth moved over her nipple. His hand came up and grasped her breast, and then his other hand, on the other side. She parted her knees slightly, allowing him closer access. 

Arthur’s mouth was flooded with sweetness. He swallowed greedily. The taste was amazing, like nothing he’d ever had before. He’d had Brahmin milk before, but this was nothing like that. Sweet and hot, it jetted into his mouth with each pull he took. 

Nora looked down at Arthur’s thick hair as his mouth worked over her nipple, his beard scratching slightly, roughly. His hands massaged her a little roughly, the slight aching pain adding to the pleasure. They were large and tanned, with square nails and not a few nicks and scars. They were calloused, and there was a dusting of dark hair on each knuckle. Not the hands of a man who spent each day in an office. 

His eyes were closed and she watched his jaw work and his throat move as he swallowed the last drops from her left breast. It was the most insanely erotic thing she had ever seen. He leaned back slightly, and gave her erect nipple a flick with his tongue, capturing the last drop. 

Nora threaded her fingers into his hair and pushed his head over to her other breast. A trail of milk had leaked from her nipple and run down her abdomen. Arthur spied this and she squeaked slightly as he bent and in one long slow stroke, licked her from her navel, up the underside of her breast, finally latching on. Her head tipped back and she leaned back against the wall. 

Arthur’s erection had grown painful by this point. He opened up his eyes and glanced up at her face, tilted back against the wall, panting heavily. His hips twitched at the view, bumping up against her shin. He pressed against her harder, hoping to ease some of the pressure. 

Nora vaguely felt him shift around, but her mind was on the relief as he drained her, and the moisture that was starting to build up elsewhere. She wanted him to slide his hand down her belly and into her panties. He kept sucking, and she could feel his tongue flick and his teeth scrape a little and his beard rubbing, and the moisture became a flood. She tried to press herself against the sink, which caused her back to arch even further and her breast to jut further into his face.

Arthur pulled the last drop out, but was unwilling to stop. Her breasts were softer now, but the nipples were reddened from his attention, and chafed slightly from his beard. The sight was his undoing. He ground himself against her leg one last time before he came, hot warmth filling his jumpsuit. He pressed his forehead to her sternum for a minute, trying to catch his breath, and then glanced up at her face. Had she noticed…?

Her eyes were still closed and her head tilted back against the wall. Her breathing was heavy, and her fingers were still entwined in his hair. Maybe she hadn’t noticed.

He pulled back suddenly, grabbing her wrist and removing her hand from his head. “I have to go” he blurted, and turning his back, practically ran from the room.

Nora was left stunned and alone on the bathroom sink.


	5. Cleaning Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit steamy.

The next morning, Arthur loitered in his room a while, unsure about facing her. He felt bad for leaving her there, but he felt more ashamed of his loss of self control.

When he finally ventured out, Nora was nowhere to be found. She and Danse had headed with a vertibird team to Fort Strong, to clear out some mutants and secure a load of mini-nukes. 

Arthur wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

***

Nora and Danse boarded the Vertibird, and without waiting for them to be seated, it took off. Their mission had been a success. The area had been cleared and a team deployed to hold the fort and remove all munitions to the Airport. It had been a long, messy day, with a few close calls, but there were no injuries.

The sun was setting as the vertibird docked at the Prydwyn. Nora and Danse stomped their way down to the hangar bay, and spent about an hour cleaning their armour and assessing damage. Afterwards they headed up to the Command Deck to debrief the Elder.

Nora stood to one side as Danse gave his brief report. When he finished, Maxson glanced over at Nora. She was standing with her hands clasped behind her, back straight. Her breasts jutting out slightly. He forgot what he was going to say as the memory of her taste flooded his mind. 

They stood there, looking at each other for almost a full minute, before Danse, glancing back and forth between the two, cleared his throat and said, “Sir?”

Arthur shook his head and looked back at Danse, cheeks slightly reddened. “Good job, Paladin. Knight. You’ve both earned a shower. Paladin, I expect to see your written report on my desk tomorrow at 0700h.” he added, knowing that Danse’s zeal would not allow him to take his shower until his report was completed. 

Turning his eyes to Nora, he said “Let… someone know if you need assistance.” Their eyes met and held, and she nodded, almost imperceptibly.

Before Danse could comment again, Maxson barked out, “Dismissed!”

***

The single, co-ed shower room on the Prydwyn consisted of a long bench on one side with hooks, and three curtained shower stalls. Showers were precious aboard the Prydwyn, given the energy requirements of the water reclamation system. Each crew member was allowed two showers per week. The water pressure was terrible and the water temperature was uncertain at best. But showers were traded amongst the crew and allotted as rewards by senior officers. 

Nora collected her few scavenged toiletries and headed to the shower room. She hung her towel on a hook, and stood for a minute, rubbing her arms. Suddenly, she had doubts. He had said that thing about assistance…. but did he mean if she wanted him to come or maybe…? Uncertain, she sat down and took off her boots.

***

Arthur wanted to be discreet. He’d waited as long as he was able before following Nora down to the shower room. He didn’t see anyone along the way, but he wasn’t taking any chances and he went as fast as he could. He was barely a minute behind her when he pulled open the shower room door and stepped inside. 

He stopped just inside the door, and searched her face, wanting to make sure he was welcome. Nora didn’t say a word, but meeting his gaze, unzipped the front of her jumpsuit.

Like a storm, Arthur crossed the room. His hands pushed the opening of her suit over her shoulders and down to her wrists. He shoved her bra strap down as well, and then his hot mouth was on her. 

Her hands had become trapped behind her back but she managed to free them somehow. She reached up her back and undid her bra clasp, then tried to get it off her arms somehow without losing his mouth on her tit. It popped free despite her effort, but he pulled it from her wrist, and then it was back, drawing and pulling. She wound both her hands through his hair, tightly.

The pulling sensation on his scalp only drove him wilder. He grabbed at her other breast with his hand and bit at the nipple in his mouth. He was rewarded when hot sweetness flooded his mouth. He felt moisture run between his fingers.

He turned his attention to the second breast. It was actually spraying slightly as he squeezed. It was amazing. He tipped it up slightly and sprayed it at his mouth. It was hard to aim and a fair bit ended up on his beard. He was annoyed at the waste and clamped his mouth down hard, causing Nora to keen out a high pitched noise. 

As the flow tapered off, he looked at her face. It was flushed and she was panting as she watched him, her hands still in his hair. She squeezed her fingers, then before she could change her mind, she pulled his head towards hers, and his mouth was on hers.

***

She was as hungry as he was. She could taste her milk on his tongue as he thrust it into her mouth. He stepped closer, pushing his whole body against her, and pressing her back into the wall. He released her mouth, licked at her lips, then he was back again for more. Nora wanted to bite him. Her hands slid down his neck and landed in the soft collar of his coat. She pushed it off, almost frantically, suddenly desperate to feel his skin beneath her hands. 

He shrugged his shoulders, helping her remove his coat, allowing it to fall to the floor. Then their fingers tangled at his collar as they fought together to remove his black jumpsuit. Finally, her hands were on him, roaming over his chest and shoulders. His skin was mostly soft, but marred here and there with small scars and sprinkled with a dusting of dark hair. 

Her hands became trapped between them as his chest pressed into hers. He hadn’t finished draining her, though, and they soon grew slick with a thin sheen of milk spreading between them. Craving her taste again, his mouth left hers, and worked its way along her jaw and down her neck, then back to her tits. Her fucking glorious tits. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough.

She tried to push his suit further down his waist but given the angle he was bent over her, she could barely move it an inch. She let out a frustrated mewl. He caught on to what she was after and stepping back, quickly removed the rest of his clothing. Her eyes widened as he sprang free. It was tall and thick and a little bit purple, and Nora’s mouth watered a bit. She didn’t have much time to look, however, as a moment later he stepped back over to her and was pushing her jumpsuit down her thighs, allowing them to fall to the floor. She kicked them aside into a heap with all the rest.

His mouth was on her again, her mouth, her neck, her breast, first one, then the other, sucking hard as he took the last few dregs. Back on hers again, and she tasted herself once more. He was so much taller than her, she couldn’t do much more than dig her nails into his shoulders or clench her fingers in his hair. She wanted to touch him more.

She tried to push him back a bit, but his response was to lift her up, turn her around, and carry her into the shower stall. Habitually sliding the curtain closed behind him. He reached around behind her and turned on the water. 

They both gasped as the uncertain stream hit them, cool at first, then finally gaining something approaching heat. She took the opportunity while he was straightened up to finally…. finally, wrap her fingers around the object of her desire. 

Oh fuck. Her soft, smooth hand was even better than he had imagined it would be. He rested his head on the cool wall of the shower as she squeezed him, drawing her hand along his length. 

The water ran over them as he gripped her hips, almost painfully, while she slowly jerked him off. After a moment, she took his wrist in her other hand and pulled it towards her center. His fingers slid through the silky curls he found there, to find slick wetness. God she was so wet. Her hips twitched as he parted her folds, finding the hard nub within and tentatively touching it.

Nora bit her lip as pleasure began to rise in her belly. This made Arthur hungry for her mouth again and soon his mouth was on hers again, his tongue and fingers matching stroke for stroke, his rough fingertip sliding closer to her entrance each time. 

She was so close, nipping at his mouth, and randomly squeezing his cock, when suddenly the door to the shower room opened with a bang and they both immediately paused, shocked and gasping for breath.


	6. The Songs are the Lustiest

Whoever it was, was humming. Humming that song from the radio, _The songs the lustiest, The friends the trustiest_ Nora mentally inserted the lyrics. She looked at Arthur, panicked. He lifted his hand and covered her mouth. Her heart was pounding unbearably in her chest. They stood immobile, waiting. Listening.

The hummer, who was repeating the same few bits of the song over and over, seemed oblivious to their presence. They heard shuffling, and the other shower come on. The hummer kept humming. Arthur removed his hand from Nora’s mouth, but otherwise continued to stand as still as possible. His arm slid around her waist. 

Nora buried her face in his chest. She could feel his erection against her belly, and the water sluiced down their bodies as they remained still, pressed together in the shower, waiting for the hummer to finish. 

“The bees are the buzziest….” the hummer sang, and Nora’s mouth dropped open in dismay as she realized it was Danse in there.

She felt Arthur’s chest begin to shake. Looking up at his face, she saw that his eyes and lips were squeezed shut and he was silently laughing.

After what seemed like an eternity, the other shower stopped, although the humming continued. They waited for Danse to leave, but it seemed to take forever to dry off and get dressed. 

As they listened, the humming suddenly stopped. He came closer to the stall where they were hiding, clenched together. “Huh..” they heard him say. Arthur saw Danse’s toe reach out and poke his coat, still lying bunched up on the floor. Then he turned and walked out of the room.

***

“Fuck” said Nora, as Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers for a second, then reaching around, shut off the water. 

Nora wrapped herself in her towel, but Arthur hadn’t thought to grab one. Realizing this, Nora quickly dried off and handed him hers, before pulling on her t-shirt and shorts. He pulled his briefs on, then looked at her for a moment before he asked in a low voice, “do you want to come to my room?”

The question hung in the air for a moment.

Then she stepped closer to him and pulled his face down to hers. She pressed a brief kiss to his lips, and whispered “I’ll be there in ten minutes” before grabbing her things and walking out of the room.

***

Eleven minutes later, Nora tapped gently at his door. Arthur had been pacing around inside for the last seven minutes, so when the soft rap came, he ripped the door open and swiftly pulled her inside. His mouth was on hers in an instant. His hands went to her ass, and lifting her up he carried her to his bed.

He set her down, before his hands went to her waist and he pulled her shirt off over her head. his mouth and hands went to her breasts and he sucked and squeezed, managing to extract what little had built up since earlier. 

His mouth began to move lower, and Nora instinctively reached to cover the still-red marks on her abdomen. Arthur pushed her hands away. “Don’t cover up.” he said.

“But..”

“Shh… you’re too fucking beautiful. I want to look at you. I want to see all of you.”

His tongue snaked out and traced one of the lines, until it reached the waistband of her shorts. Sliding his hands underneath her, he grabbed the back of her shorts and underwear together, and lifting her feet into the air, pulled it off in one swift motion. 

He slid his hands from her ankles to her knees as she lowered her legs back down, then he spread them apart and ran his hands up her thighs to her hips. 

His mouth was back on her belly, working its way down again. He reached the soft curls at her apex, and then, pressing her thighs apart further with his hands, he slid his tongue between her folds and touched it lightly to her bud.

His tongue was hot and soft as it moved gently around her clit, and his beard was rough on the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. He swirled his tongue around her, and she felt the pressure building in her lower body, unbearably, 

She lifted her legs, then let them fall apart again, restlessly. She grabbed her nipples and pulled, then clenched her hands in the sheets, before finally grabbing him by the hair and pressing his mouth harder to her.

Arthur stroked her slick entrance with the pad of one finger. Then he slowly slid his finger inside.

That was her undoing.

He felt her inner muscles clamp around his finger as she came, crying out. He pushed it in, as hard as he could, then, pulled it out, and then back in again quickly, two this time. He fucked her with his fingers, lapping up her juices as she arched her back and pressed herself to her face. 

She was still pulsing inside when he leaned back, then, rising from the floor, he slid his arms under her knees and pressed himself to her centre. Reaching down, he stroked the tip of himself against her soaking pussy. Then, with one swift stroke, he sank himself in to the hilt.

He could feel her still quivering a little as he withdrew and sank back in a second time. He pulled his arms out from underneath her knees, which allowed her to wrap her legs around his waist, pulling him in closer. He lowered himself to his elbows as her arms snaked around his neck, pulling his mouth to hers.

HIs hips gradually sped up as he fucked her harder and faster, until, gasping, she ripped her mouth from his and cried out his name as intense waves of pleasure shot from her core and throughout her entire body.

Her pussy clamped like a vice over his cock, sending Arthur over the edge. He managed to withdraw just in time for them both to watch as he shot his own milk all over her heaving tits.


	7. A Wink and a Smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter that wasn't posted on the Kinkmeme. So, start here if you're following up.

Arthur found himself, early the next morning, rubbing his face in exhaustion as he joined the department heads in the conference room for a meeting. They were going to discuss the strategies and goals for the Brotherhood in the Commonwealth.

He nodded to Kells and Quinlan as he sat down and waited for Ingram and Danse. Danse. Arthur had no idea how he was going to meet his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried not to think about showers. 

He opened a folder that was sitting on the table, and tried to look like he was engrossed in reading the papers within, as he noticed someone trudge in in their power armour. Glancing up, he saw it was just Proctor Ingram, the stumps of her legs showing through her power armour frame. 

Kells spoke, “Shall we begin? We don’t need to wait for Danse, as he is preparing to head out with his protege, Knight Sullivan, to see what they can find out about that missing recon team. I don’t expect to see them back here for at least a few days.”

Arthur’s relief quickly dissipated as he realized that while he wasn’t going to see Danse, he wasn’t going to see Nora either. He scowled as the meeting began.

***

Three days became a week as Arthur’s mood increasingly darkened. He stalked around the ship, barking orders at Paladins and Initiates alike, while the Squires began scurrying away in terror at the sound of his voice. He took several trips down to the airport, only to stalk around shouting at everyone there as well. 

He spent his nights alone in his room, awake, thinking of Nora and their time together. Over and over again, he pictured her swollen teat shooting milk in his face. He pictured her face as she cried out in ecstasy as he sucked sweet nourishment from her, and he pictured her tight warmth clenching on his cock. 

He’d been walking around with a permanent erection for five days when he finally retreated to his room, trying to distract himself with paperwork, coming out each time he heard a vertibird dock, only to retreat in disappointment each time it turned out to be someone else.   
Finally, on the seventh day, he stepped out to see Danse taking her hand as she stepped out of the vertibird, slightly awkward in her still-unfamiliar power armour. She looked up at Danse with a smile. 

Arthur’s heart had begun to race at the sight of her, but when he saw Nora smile at Danse, his scowl returned, and turning on his heel, he stalked back inside. 

***

Nora had not been in a bad mood. She had spent her week stomping around the north central area of the Commonwealth, shooting ghouls and mutants with the modded laser rifle Danse had given her, and tracking down the members of the missing team. Although it had been tragic to find three of their bodies, it turned out better at the end as they had managed to find Paladin Brandis, alive, and convince him to return to the Prydwyn. 

Nora had been nervous at first, but after a couple of days and no indication that he was aware of anything untoward that had occurred in the shower room, she relaxed.

The week had been a rollercoaster of emotions. Danse was clearly upset to learn the fates of his comrades, and he opened up a little to her about his past. In return, she told him about Shaun and Kellogg. They had begun to discuss speaking with Maxson about doing some boots on the ground recon in the hopes of tracking down some more leads on the Institute. Nora had retrieved some kind of technical gadgets from Kellogg’s head when she’d blown him to bits, and Danse thought there was a chance that asking around might give them some answers. 

Nora admired Danse’s passion and dedication to the Brotherhood. He was a serious man who rarely smiled, and she found herself in quiet moments needling and teasing him to try and get him to crack. A few times she had been rewarded with a slight smile, and once, by some miracle, a slight chuckle. 

By the time they stepped foot back on the Prydwyn, Nora considered him to be a good friend. 

Side by side, they headed into the airship together.

***

Arthur spent the subsequent hour pacing around the control deck waiting for them to report in, his scowl deepening by the minute. 

Finally they arrived, Danse standing in front waiting to give his report, Nora stood to the side and slightly behind Danse. She watched Maxson as he stood listening to Danse, his brows furrowed and his mouth turned down in a scowl. She felt heat begin to swirl in her belly as she remembered their night together. She swallowed hard and tried to remain composed as she remembered his hands and mouth on her body. 

Arthur’s eyes met hers, and her breath caught in her throat. Her lips parted slightly and she took a deep breath. It was all she could do not to rush straight at him. Instead, she allowed herself to lift the corner of her mouth in a tiny smile, and winked. Arthur suddenly felt the world brighten, and his mouth twitched in return as he faced Danse and tried to listen to him speak. 

 

Danse gave his report, and then, glancing at Nora, he said, “One other thing Sir. I, well, we believe we may be able to follow some of the leads Knight Sullivan was investigating in the search for her son. We would like permission to do some recon missions in and around the Commonwealth. She has a way with people, Sir, and is quite good at ferreting out information.”

Arthur’s scowl was back. This sounded like a mission that would take Nora from his company a significant amount. But it was also a brilliant idea, one he wished he had thought of himself. He could do nothing but allow it.

“Agreed Paladin. You two will be the Brotherhood’s eyes and ears on the ground. Make sure you report any and all findings to me immediately.” This would ensure they would at least be making regular stops on the Prydwen.

Arthur saluted. “Ad Victoriam, Paladin”

“Ad Victoriam, Elder”

And with that, they were dismissed.


	8. Nightcap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nora learns the plus side to having a twenty year old lover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to edit this chapter because the next one was too short so I decided to mash them together.

At six, Nora found herself in the mess hall with Danse and a few other Brotherhood members, regaling them with a recounting of a feral ghoul attack, when Arthur walked in. She followed him out of the corner of his eye as he strolled through the mess hall, and then turned down the hallway that ran behind the mess hall. Laughing, she finished her story, then stood, with the excuse that she needed to grab a spoon. She headed to the counter where the cutlery was, and reaching for a spoon, she knocked the container over, causing them to spill onto the floor. 

With a glance at her compatriots, noting that they didn’t seem to be paying attention to her, she picked up the cutlery, kicking one over into the hallway. She followed the spoon into the corridor, only to find Arthur leaning on the wall, exactly where she expected him to be.

As soon as she saw him, she was in his arms, her hands on his beard, as she pulled his face to hers for a kiss. She nipped at his full lower lip as he slid his tongue into her mouth. 

His hand at her waist slid under the edge of her shirt and up her ribcage, but stopped at the band of cloth she had wrapped tightly around her chest. He fingered it for a moment, seeing if he could fit a finger underneath, but it was too tight. Pulling back from her kiss, he pressed his lips against her ear and whispered, “Come to my room tonight.”

Breathless, Nora nodded. Then he was gone, leaving her panting in the hallway.

***

Arthur waited in his room. She was going to come. Finally, after this marathon of a week, he would see her again. Touch her skin, taste her... His heart pounded in anticipation. He closed his eyes, and imagined her firm breasts, her sweet milk. After all this time he hoped he wouldn’t be too rough. Maybe he was too rough last time. He poured himself a drink and reminded himself not to pounce on her the second she walked in. 

***

Nora found herself tapping at Arthur’s door once again. When he opened it, he was barechested, wearing only loose pants. Her mouth went dry at the sight of his broad, muscled chest, dusted with dark hairs. When she stepped inside, her arm brushed his chest as she passed and he leaned forward to close the door behind her. The hair stood up on her arm at the contact. 

“Do you…. ummm… want a drink?” he asked, suddenly awkward.

_Do you?_ she thought. 

“Ok” she said instead. He had a terminal in the corner with several bottles beside it. He poured her a glass. His fingers brushed hers as he handed it to her. She shivered slightly. 

“How was your trip?” he asked, grasping. “I mean… I guess I got the report…” he trailed off.

Nora set her drink down, and raised her hand to his cheek. His beard was soft but coarse beneath her fingers. His hand covered hers, then with a groan he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers, all promises forgotten at the taste of her mouth. 

He felt her arms wind around his neck as she kissed him back. Her hand slid up his neck and stroked the short hair there, where he kept it nearly shaved. It was velvety against her fingers. His big hands squeezed her hips, then moved to her waist, then higher up where his fingers once again were halted by tightly wound fabric. 

He pulled back from their kiss. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Oh!” She said with an embarrassed laugh. “It’s some cloth I’m using as binding. I need the milk to stop if I’m going to be any use. It’s the only way I can ease the pressure without any…. assistance”

“It’s going to make it stop?”

“Eventually. It’s not like a I have anyone to help me out in the field.” She flashed him a brilliant smile.

Arthur’s mind flashed back to Nora smiling at Danse as they stepped out of the vertibird that afternoon. He’d been so angry. But apparently Danse was good enough to smile at but she only trusted Arthur with her body. He smiled back at her. 

He kissed her again, then helped her out of her t-shirt. She untied the knot that held her bindings and shook them loose. The bottom two layers were damp.

“The pressure’s not nearly as bad” she told him. “It’s kind of a use it or lose it sort of thing.”

“Well I guess we better use it while we can.” he replied.

She gasped with pleasure as his hot mouth covered her nipple.

“Oh god! I’ve been thinking about this all week” she breathed. Arthur just moaned as the first sweet jet filled his mouth.

Heat pooled between her thighs as Arthur’s mouth worked her breasts, his beard roughly scraping the tender skin. He backed up towards the bed, and sat down, pulling her on top of him. She straddled him, grinding herself against the hardness growing in his pants. 

Arthur pulled back for air, and flicked his tongue against her nipple. When he went back for more, she leaned back. He leaned forward, trying to pull her close again, but she just pressed a finger against his lips and shook her head, then pressing him back with one hand, she slid down his body and began tugging at his pants.

He lifted his ass up to help her, and then his feet, and then waited to see what she would do. Hoping she would put her mouth on him. 

 

Instead, she knelt between his legs. She lifted her tits, and gave her nipples a gentle, rolling squeeze. White milk seeped out. Arthur’s already impossibly hard cock twitched, becoming even harder. He watched as she used her fingers to spread the creamy fluid all over and between her breasts, squeezing more out as she went, until finally she was satisfied. Keeping her eyes on his, she reached for him. 

She gave him two long, slow strokes with her moistened palm, before leaning forward. Arthur watched in amazement as she surrounded him with her soft flesh, squeezing her breasts tightly around his aching prick. Looking him directly in the eyes, she said in a low voice, “Fuck my tits, Arthur!”

His brain became a jumble of nonsense, but somehow, he managed to obey her command. Slowly at first, then faster, he bucked his hips into her slick wet cleavage. She squeezed herself around him, pinching herself to release more milk. 

The tip of his dick bumped her chin and tilting her head, she caught it in her mouth. He fell back, resting again on the mattress, as she grabbed him, and closed her lips around the end. She began working him, her mouth going further with each stroke, occasionally pausing to lick up the sides and bottom of his shaft. her other hand went to his balls, testing and stroking their cool, hairy weight in her palm. 

Without warning, Arthur threw back his head and moaned loudly as he came.

***

Nora climbed up onto his heaving chest as he lay there, one arm over his eyes. She rested her head on his shoulder.

“I'm sorry… you didn’t…” he began.

“It’s ok,” she said. “It’s early.”

He peered at her from under his arm. She tilted her face up and kissed him. “Catch your breath, then it’s my turn, big boy.”

He stroked her hair back from her face, then pulled her lips back to his. The kiss was gentle at first, but soon grew heated as their tongues battled. Her fingers tangled in his chest hair, and her legs straddled his thigh as she ground against him. He realized she was still wearing her shorts as his roaming hand met the waistband, so he did what he could to rectify the situation. 

Arthur was a big man, and it was easy for him to flip them over so he was on top, and before she knew it she was on her back with her pants off and her legs up over his shoulders. He stroked her slick wetness, and slid one finger inside before leaning down and tasting her. It wasn’t long before he felt himself beginning to ready again, and by the time she lost control and cried out he was hard as marble and aching to be inside her.

He watched, brows lowered in desire, as she relaxed, panting, into the sheets, and then he slowly removed his hand. She gasped at the sensitivity. After a moment, she sat up on her elbows. He sat back on his heels, watching her. Slowly, she sat up, and slid off of the bed onto his lap. Her mouth came down on to his for just a moment before she raised herself up, pressing her breasts onto his face, and sank down onto his cock. 

He grabbed her ass and sucked on her tits as she slid up and down his length, enveloping him and freeing him again and again, until her hot sheath fluttered around him and she mashed her face into his shoulder. Then, with a growl, he took back control, and stood, laying her back on the bed, where he gave her four more hard strokes before withdrawing and spending himself on her belly.


	9. Abominations

When Arthur awoke the next morning, Nora was gone. He vaguely remembered her slipping out in the night, worried that someone would find out they were together. He dressed and left his room, the smell of her still on his skin. He headed to the mess hall and found them there, Nora and Danse, poring over her pip-boy, dark heads together. Danse’s eyes met his as he passed, and he nodded at his superior. Maxson forced himself to nod back but inside fury choked his throat. He grabbed a cold mirelurk cake and stormed up to his Command deck.

Nora didn’t notice him pass by, engrossed as she was in the map they were examining. She had told Danse about her missing son, and the dead end at Kellogg during their trip to find the missing recon team. Danse thought their best bet would be to head to Diamond City and speak with this detective and reporter she had mentioned, to see if they had any further information. They were planning the best route and listing the supplies they would need. 

By lunch, they were all kitted out in freshly repaired power armour and ready to go. They couldn’t be airlifted all the way to Diamond City, as the airdrops were very limited and only to be used for emergencies, so they decided they had better hike from the airport. 

Nora followed Danse out onto the gangway and turned towards the vertibird, but Danse stopped her. “Have you ever jumped from something high in your power armour?” he asked, a rare smile lifting his normally stern visage.

“What do you mean?” She asked. And before she knew it, he took her hand, opened the little gate, and pulling her with him, stepped off. 

She screamed the whole way down.

They landed together with an astounding crash, the pistons and gears within the power armour automatically balancing them and cushioning the shock so it seemed like nothing more than jumping off a chair. 

Once she realized she wasn’t dead, she shoved Danse as hard as she could. He barely took a step back but instead just smiled at her. 

“Ready to continue our mission, Soldier?”

***

The next three weeks were arguably more emotionally taxing for Nora than her first three weeks were. Danse and Nora were off to a rough start after a two day hike to Diamond City where they met up with the detective she had mentioned, and then a two hour argument in the alley behind Nick’s office where she yelled at him for his astounding rudeness to Nick, and he yelled at her for trusting that abomination. 

Then there was the awkward trek the three of them took to Goodneighbor, all three of them silently shunning one another. And then another situation where Danse almost came to blows with the ghoul mayor, Hancock. Only Nick’s calm voice and gentle sarcasm was able to defuse the situation. 

Relations made a turnaround when Nora had emerged from the Memory Lounger, tears welling up and finally spilling as she cried about her baby, who was now, according to all evidence, a ten year old boy. Danse rubbed her back as she cried into his armour for nearly a half an hour, before she dried her tears and straightened her back, and asked him what to do next. 

Nick, for his part, departed back to Diamond City, and Nora and Danse debated the merits of heading back to the Prydwen first or directly into the Glowing Sea. Ultimately they decided that time was of the essence, and that a trip back to the airship would just add an unnecessary few days they couldn’t afford, and so they headed together into the irradiated wastes to find a scientist named Virgil.

It was a rough, three day slog in both directions. Although they had renewed some of their camaraderie on the hike there, on discovering that Virgil was a super mutant of all things, the bickering began again for the first two days headed back. Finally, lack of sleep and mild radiation sickness wore Nora’s patience down enough that she had it out with him right then and there, and told him she didn’t care what he thought, he was damn well going to keep it to himself around her from now on, and that all of those people had helped her, and that she was going to pass judgement on people based on what they did, not what they fucking _were._

And he looked at her, and she looked at him, and they stared each other down, right there at the edge of that irradiated wasteland. And then he said. “Ok.” And they turned and continued walking.

Later that evening, when they finally left the Glowing sea and found some shelter for the evening, Nora looked at Danse over the fire and said. “I really need a friend with me if I’m going to find this courser. I need someone I can trust to have my back.”

***

Two days after that, Nora and Danse returned to the Prydwen. As the vertibird ascended, Nora grew tense with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to see him. Her thoughts had turned to Arthur often in the past three weeks, especially at night. She’d tossed and turned in frustration when they had made camp, Danse’s armour creaking as he kept watch. When it was her turn for watch she ached to relieve herself, but he was such a light sleeper that she was worried he would catch her and she would find that too humiliating. 

The only times she had managed to be alone was at the separate accommodation they had stayed in in Diamond City and Goodneighbor. The room in Goodneighbor was disgusting, a bare mattress covered in who knew what. She’d tried to resist touching herself in that place but finally thoughts of Arthur had driven the squeamishness away.

The Dugout in Diamond City was much more pleasant, and actually had showers. As the water ran over her body, she remembered Arthur’s hands on her, and his beard scratching her skin, and she stroked herself quickly, one hand on her breast, and her head against the cracked tile wall. 

Now, as they made the ascent to the Prydwen, she felt heat pool between her thighs in anticipation. When they finally landed, her eyes searched for him, but he was nowhere to be found.


	10. Shattered

CHAPTER TEN

Arthur was pacing his Command Deck, where he’d forced himself to remain as her vertibird docked.

His thoughts were racing, as they had been for the entire time she was away. He couldn’t get her out of his mind, and thoughts of her intruded every waking moment. He was consumed with his thirst for her, her taste ever-present on his tongue, her skin beneath his hands. He began thinking of her as he thought of all his possessions. His room. His ship. His Brotherhood. He hadn’t been able to bear parts of the Brotherhood being out of his grasp, and that single minded determination to have, to _keep_ what was his, had been instrumental in his reunification of the Brotherhood with the Outcasts. It was what had allowed him to push for the construction of the ship beneath his feet. He had no reason to expect that it wouldn’t allow him to have and keep the first female to hold his interest since he was a child.

He had spent the last few weeks she was away much as he had spent the first, pacing and growling. In his mind’s eye he pictured her face, laughing up at Danse, and his rage grew. He lay sleepless in his bed at night, imagining them together roaming the wasteland, curled up together in camp at night.

As he stalked back and forth, waiting for them to check in, he forced himself to calm down. He would talk to her, he decided, as soon as they were alone, and ascertain her feelings for him. But regardless of how she felt about it, Nora and Danse’s time together in the wasteland would be coming to an end very soon.

*** 

Their briefing occurred without incident, and they were ordered to report to Kells for their next assignment. Nora’s mouth turned down slightly at this, since she assumed their next assignment would be to hunt for the courser, but she decided to wait until the orders were given before she worried about it. 

After finishing up with post mission kit and armour maintenance, Nora and Danse went to Kells. His orders were for Nora to hunt the courser, and for Danse to head back to the Cambridge police station to head the team there. 

Danse, ever the obedient soldier, saluted and made no comment when they were dismissed. Nora, however, was fuming. “How am I supposed to take on a courser by myself?” she yelled when they left. Danse lifted one eyebrow at her outburst. “I’m sure that Maxson and Kells have their reasons, Soldier. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I am due in my rack. And with that, he turned and left her standing alone.

Nora’s fists clenched at her sides and she let out a frustrated sigh. Maybe if she went to talk with Arthur directly. Danse had been invaluable to her up to this point. She had to find a way to convince Arthur not to send her out by herself. And after that... Anger twined through her chest, twisting their tendrils and entwining with the curls of desire in her belly until the two feelings were indistinguishable. 

Her frown belied the eagerness in her step as she headed towards his room. 

***

Arthur knew he was being a little cowardly by getting Kells to issue the orders. But he knew Nora would be angry, and he didn’t know how he would deal with that in front of Danse. _And this way she’ll come here to see me._ he thought secretly to himself. He smiled as he imagined her anger would blow away when she saw him, and he’d kiss her softly and hold her and she’d soon melt into his arms and forget all about Danse. His hands shook with anticipation. 

He opened the door quickly at her knock, and, ushering her inside, closed the door behind her. “What can I help you with?” he asked, knowing full well why she was there.

“Why did you assign Danse somewhere else?” She asked in a raised voice. “Do you honestly expect me to take on a courser alone?”

Arthur frowned as the implications of his orders sank in. When he had made that decision, fueled by jealousy, it hadn’t occurred to him that it would leave her vulnerable and unguarded. His only thought had been to separate the two. But Arthur Maxson had not gotten to where he was in his life by second guessing himself. He had never backed down from a decision before, and he wasn’t about to today. 

“I need him at the police station, _Knight._ I expect you to follow my orders _without question.”_

“Send someone else. I need Danse with me.”

Arthur swallowed down the anger that rose at Danse’s name. “The Brotherhood can’t spare the extra resources for your mission at this time.” he bit out from behind clenched teeth.

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but he couldn’t take them back. She shot him a look of such rage that he almost took a step back. “Figure something out.” she spat. She turned to leave.

A thin line of uncertainty threaded through his mind. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. 

Impulsively, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her sharply to his chest. “I haven’t dismissed you yet,” he growled, and then his mouth was on hers. 

Nora shoved at his chest but he didn’t budge. She grabbed the sides of his face and pushed him away. He leaned back slightly, and they stared each other down, faces mere centimeters apart, breath mingling. Arthur’s blue eyes were almost black with want. Nora felt the hot ache of desire low in her belly become a full on inferno of need. She pulled his face back down to hers, lips opened. His tongue thrust inside, and he lifted her up. When her legs went around his waist, he carried her to the table and sat her on the edge. 

He ground himself against her core, once, twice, then he reached for the zipper of her orange jumpsuit and pulled it down swiftly, pushing it off her shoulders and holding it to free her arms. His mouth wet her breast through the fabric of her bra as he pushed her jumpsuit down, and hitching up her hips briefly, pulled it off in one quick motion.

Her fingers found his zipper and began fumbling to open it, but then his hands brushed hers aside as he grasped the tab and pulled it off, stripping to the waist. Looking her in the eye, he stuck his two middle fingers in his mouth, and then slid them between her legs. The gesture was wasted. She was already slick and ready. He pushed his jumpsuit down the rest of the way and freed himself. The suit pooled at his feet, and then he was inside her.

Nora gasped at the sudden intrusion. She clasped her arms around his neck to keep from falling backwards, as he thrust against her. She buried her face in his shoulder. His skin was damp, and she licked it once, then sank her teeth into the curve where his neck met his shoulder. He slammed into her harder at the sharp pain, shaking the table and causing the bottle of whiskey there to roll off of the edge of the table and onto the floor where it smashed, filling room filled with the sharp, boozy smell.

His hands slid under her ass, lifting her so he could drive into her deeper. She could feel the muscles of his back flexing under her calf with each stroke, and she grasped him tightly, grinding her clit against his pubic hair. Every fibre of her body tried to mash itself closer to him… into him… until stars burst in her skull and her skin tightened and she tried to make him hold still so she could envelop him...

Arthur didn’t still as he felt her tighten and clench around him. Gritting his teeth,he pulled out lest her pulsating heat push him over the edge too. He slid her off the table, turned her over, and then, biting his lip to keep from coming, he entered her again from behind. 

She bent over the table and pushed her ass back into him as her orgasm faded. He grasped her hips, and then, as if his life depended on it, rammed into her as hard as he could. As though he could somehow go _through_ her. He saw her hand slide between her legs, so he reached down, and pushing her fingers aside, began stroking her clit. It was only a moment before she was pulsing on his cock again, and this time when he pulled out it was to spray his hot seed on her back, and they both cried out. 

***

Arthur leaned, hunched over, his softening cock resting between Nora’s ass cheeks, one arm around her waist and one braced on the table. His forehead was pressed between her shoulder blades. Neither one moved as they slowly regained their breath. After a moment Arthur placed a kiss on her spine. Nora shivered at the touch of his beard on her cooling skin. 

“That’s not how I wanted this to go.” he whispered.

Nora stiffened. She stood up and turned around, pulling herself from his arms. “How did you want this to go, Arthur? You might be sending me out to my death and you expect me to be happy about it?” 

She turned away, and looked around the room. Clothes were strewn everywhere. A pool of glass and whiskey covered half the floor. Spying some folded clothing on the shelf she deliberately walked over, avoiding the glass, and grabbed a clean t-shirt. She used it to wipe her back, before throwing it in his face. She grabbed her jumpsuit and pulled it on as quickly as possible and snatching up her underwear, shoved them in her pocket. He watched her, the t-shirt clenched in his hand. 

“If you’re not willing to help me, I guess I will just have to find someone who will.” 

Nora turned, and without another word, stalked out of his room, slamming the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took longer than expected. I had a hard time writing it without it coming across as rapey. I really don't want anything to be rapey in this, and for anybody who can kinda see where this story is headed, I want to assure you that Arthur is NOT going to rape Nora now or at any point in this story. So if that's a concern enough for you that you might stop reading it please don't worry. It's not gonna go there. 
> 
> I'm also gonna start following the quest a little for the next while, so, yeah, spoiler alert. I'm going to try and skim over the actual game plot as much as possible since I figure you should know it enough by this point to get the gist of what is going on, and focus on the relationships among people. Nobody needs a playthrough, amirite?
> 
> I also have an ending in mind for this so I am not randomly rambling on just a bunch of nonsense, and it's gonna be good I think, so be patient and we will get there together. You, me, and Arthur's beard. I love beards. Beards are hot. (fans self)
> 
> Ps: Thanks for your comments!!! Much appreciated!!!


	11. Friends

Nora lay in her bed, staring at the roof, listening to the various Knights and Scribes snoring around her. Her mind was a jumble of emotions. She’d gone barreling in there without thinking, like she’d done in so many other things in life. She’d rushed into the first college that accepted her, gone to law school because her father thought she should, and then rushed into a relationship with Nate. Rushed into marriage. Hell, she’d even rushed to join the Brotherhood. Practically chased them down at a dead run. 

And Arthur. For some reason she thought he’d protect her, help her find her son. He seemed so confident and authoritative, with all these people at his command. Somehow, deep down, she had convinced herself that he’d just take over and find the Institute. Find Shaun. 

She rolled onto her side, her breath escaping her in a soft huff. He didn’t seem that interested in helping her now. instead he just brushed her concerns aside and took what he wanted. She closed her eyes tightly. She admitted to herself that she wanted it too. If she hadn’t, she would have just calmly and professionally approached him in the morning.

But instead she’d gone rushing in there and all she had to show for it was a distracting ache between her legs. An ache that was tempting her to go back for more.

She sat up. She decided she needed a drink.

***

Nora headed to the mess hall to see if she could find some booze. _There’s a whole bottle on the floor in Arthur Maxson’s room,_ she thought. She found a half empty bottle of... something…. behind the counter, and decided to see if she could find some secluded place to indulge. As she passed the hall leading to the power armour hanger, bottle in hand, she heard the radio playing and the distinctive sound of a torque wrench. Curious as to who was up this late, she wandered in, only to find Danse on his back readjusting the plating on his armour’s left leg. 

“Hey.” she said. “I thought you were in bed.”

Something passed over his face she couldn’t identify. “I couldn’t sleep,” he said with a scowl. 

“Me neither. Hey…you want a hand? Or a drink?” she added, holding up the bottle.

He scowled at her. “Where did you get that? I don’t think drinking while working with complicated equipment would be advisable.” 

Nora rolled her eyes at him. Looking around, she found a coffee cup that didn’t seem too dirty. She poured a slug into it, then handed it to him. “Quit being such a square all the time.”

She sat down on the floor and leaned against the next power armour frame. Danse took a miniscule sip from his cup, then, with a grimace, set it down behind him and continued on with his task. They sat there in silence for several minutes. 

Finally, she sighed. “I don’t know what to do about our little problem.”

“What problem?” he asked, looking up at her.

“What do you mean, what problem? You’ve been assigned to the police station instead of helping me!”

“I don’t see as how that’s a problem. We were given our orders. It’s our job to carry them out.”

Nora looked at him balefully. “Do you really think I am going to be able to track down and kill a courser by myself? Ar--um-- Elder Maxson won’t even assign anyone else to do help me.”

“Knight, you’ve never done anything to inspire anything other than confidence in your abilities. I knew it from the beginning, when you fought off those ghouls at the police station.”

Nora smiled. “I appreciate that, Danse. But that was a bunch of mindless zombies. This is a trained hunter. Not even human.”

“You defeated Kellogg.”

She didn’t reply.

Danse sighed. “Look, if it helps, when we were in Goodneighbor, I heard about this guy looking for work. Apparently he’s a pretty good shot, reliable, and not too expensive. Maybe you can hire him.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“I’ve got a vertibird to Cambridge tomorrow. Goodneighbor’s along the way, I’m sure they can drop you off.”

Nora felt better with a plan. She lifted her bottle and smiled at him. “I’ll toast to that!”

She looked at him pointedly until he lifted his cup in her direction and, with an exasperated grumble, he drank it back.

***

Nora leaned back against the wall and looked at MacCready. “Well, she said. That went well.”

MacCready’s nose wrinkled as he scanned her from top to bottom, taking in the gore covered hands and blood splattered clothing, before looking around the rest of the room. They had left a trail of Gunner corpses through the building in their hunt for this courser. 

A week earlier, Nora had been dropped off near Goodneighbor as discussed. She had left the power armour on the airship, thinking she would have better luck talking to people if she didn’t look like a robot. Turned out she was right, and after haggling MacCready down a bit, he agreed to help her out. 

“So what’s the job?” he’d asked. 

“We’re gonna hunt down a courser.” 

His jaw had hit the floor.

Once he picked it up, they had set out, heading towards the old CIT ruins. They had spent several days in the area, scavenging and killing the occasional raider or mirelurk. He was a nice enough kid, despite his his questionable personal hygiene and annoying habit of making inside jokes that only he found funny, and then laughing to himself. It was when he pulled out his sniper rifle that he really shone. Over time, they had developed a rapport and worked well together, Nora going in with her laser rifle blazing, and MacCready hanging back and covering her with his rifle. 

This morning, Nora’s Pipboy had made a distinctive and previously unheard _PING_ , and they looked at each other in excitement. They finally had the signal. They hadn’t realized until they got there that the Gunners would be after the same target. Somehow, they had managed to fight their way,floor by floor, to the top of the building.

Nora opened her bloody fist and looked at the chip she’d pulled out of the courser’s head. She realized suddenly that Virgil hadn’t told her what to do with it. Well, maybe she’d just bring it back to the Prydwen. Maybe Ingram or Quinlan could help. 

She sighed. She wasn’t enthusiastic about talking to Arthur again, after the last time. Maybe she would just stop and see Dr. Amari in Goodneighbor on the way, After all, she’d helped with the last thing she’d dug out of someone’s head.

***

Amari turned the chip over in her hand. “I can’t help you with this.” she said. “But I know someone who probably can. His name is Tinker Tom. And he’s with the Railroad. They help synths escape from the Institute” 

“Well, where can we find this Railroad?” asked MacCready. Nora looked sideways at him. Apparently he wasn’t ready to look for a new boss just yet. 

“I don’t know where they’re located now.” Said Dr. Amari. “But the rumours I’ve heard say that you need to go to Boston Common and follow the Freedom Trail”

Nora folded her arms and looked at MacCready. “You ready for another treasure hunt?” she asked.

“Whatever you say, Boss.” he replied with a wink.


	12. The Railroad

Arthur Maxson slammed the file folder shut. It contained a report concerning the CIT area. Surveillance showed higher than normal energy fluctuations and synth sightings in the area, indicating it may be a central location for the Institute. The field scribe also noted having seen Nora Sullivan, dressed in civilian clothing, wandering the area with a man of unknown description. Arthur gritted his teeth. 

It had been over a week since Nora had left, and not a day had passed by without Arthur cringing in remorse towards how he had behaved. He’d meant to be kinder, make her want to stay on the ship with him. Instead he probably drove her away. 

She was bound to check in sooner or later, and when she did, he’d make it up to her, he promised himself. 

He grabbed his towel and kit and headed towards the showers. 

The lukewarm water sluiced down his back as he stood, forehead pressed against the tiles. Unwillingly, his thoughts turned to memories of Nora in this same stall. In his mind’s eye, he saw her, back against the wall, her breasts in her hands, offering them to him. 

He felt himself hardening at the image, imagination and memory jumbled together in his mind. He reached his hand between his legs, and stroked himself, slowly at first, then quicker. He saw himself lifting her up onto his cock, and the Nora in his head bobbed up and down easily as she rode him, throwing her head back and calling his name. 

He moaned softly, and cupped his balls, his fingers squeezing the tip, and as he spent into his hand he imagined he was hilt deep inside her, filling her womb with his seed.

Half an hour later, he fell asleep with the image of her belly growing big with his child, her breasts heavy again with milk...

***

Deacon strolled down the tunnel and into the brightly lit room. He raised his eyebrow when he saw who it was. He was impressed. Seemed as though the vault dweller he’d been following for weeks had finally made it to HQ. _She would have made it there sooner if the Brotherhood hadn’t shown up,_ he thought wryly. No worries. She was here now, and Deacon aimed to make sure she stayed. 

Nora stood with her arm lifted to shade her eyes from the sudden brightness when Dez had turned on the light. Behind her stood that scrawny merc kid… what was his name? _Oh yeah.... MacCready_

Dez seemed to be questioning her in some kind of threatening manner, so Deacon decided to step in and see what he could do to defuse the situation. “This lady’s kind of a big deal,” he began, and then listed what he knew about her. She’d stumbled out of a vault in search of her missing baby, then somehow managed to kill Kellogg _and_ a courser. And she had an intact courser chip. He left out the part about the Brotherhood, since he was pretty sure that wouldn’t go over too shit hot with Dez.

Turns out Vault Lady had decided to track them down because of something Dr. Amari had said. Deacon nodded, pleased. Seemed the breadcrumbs he had left had worked. 

Once Dez found out about the chip, her attitude changed, and she suddenly welcomed the Vault Lady right on in. Deacon smiled. They finally had the ticket into the Institute they’d been looking for.

***

Nora was more than a little alarmed at the smiling man in shades who just sauntered in and listed off her entire life story in a lazy, drawling voice. But she needed to be here, so she figured she’d assess the situation before she bolted. She turned her attention to the woman who’d been interrogating her. She introduced herself as Desdemona, leader of the Railroad, followed by Glory and Drummer Boy, _What kind of name is that?_ she thought, and finally Deacon, the shaded man who was now leaning casually on the wall, arms folded across her chest. 

“Nora Sullivan”, she introduced herself. No sense hiding now. They obviously already knew everything. 

“Well, Nora Sullivan,” said Desdemona, “Let’s go see what Tom can do with that chip of yours.” Nora looked at MacCready, then nodded and followed Desdemona inside.

***

Nora handed the chip over to Tinker Tom with no small amount of trepidation. Tinker Tom was a...unique...individual. Deacon took a minute to reassure her. “It’s in safe hands. Don’t worry.” He took her around to introduce her to the rest of the crew, then he said, “Listen. Tom said it’s gonna be a few days. You can stay here if you want. We can probably find something to keep you busy.”

“What do you do here anyways? Why all the secrecy?” She asked. 

Deacon explained. “We help synths who are trying to escape the Institute. They are thinking, feeling people and they have the right to self-determination. The Institute basically treats them like property… like slaves… and we do what we can to get them out, find them new homes. Sometimes we need to wipe their memories or change their faces. Look if you want to learn more, you can come on some runs with me in the next few days and I can explain a bit more what we do.”

The first thing that popped into Nora’s head was Nick Valentine. He had been a good friend early on. She’d gone to Diamond City pretty much first thing after emerging from the Vault, and not only had he helped her find Kellogg, but he’d also offered her a place to stay. And then he’d made that trek to Goodneighbor, putting up with Danse the whole time. 

The Railroad seemed like a ragtag bunch of misfits, but their intentions seemed to be good, so Nora thought she’d give them the benefit of the doubt. 

***

“I managed to decrypt the code, but you’re going to need that Institute guy to decipher all this,” Tom informed her.

 _Great._ thought Nora. _Another trek into the Glowing Sea._

The last two days had been interesting. The more she learned about the Railroad, the more certain she became that their ideals aligned with her own. The few small errands they had run together had really highlighted what they were up against and what a huge, dangerous task they had before them. 

She’d gotten to know Desdemona and Deacon a bit, and she admired their dedication to the cause. Desdemona was serious and reserved, but dedicated. Deacon was a bit harder to pin down. Nora enjoyed his easy smile and bad jokes. MacCready seemed to have hit it off with Glory, and they spent a lot of time together arguing about weapons. 

Nora knew the Railroad didn’t have the equipment or supplies for a trek into the Glowing Sea. It looked like Nora was going to have to go back to the Prydwen. If for nothing else than to retrieve her power armour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said it wasn't going to be too much playthrough and I'm sorry! I have a lot of things planned I am really excited about but it needs to be set up a bit first. I'm loving all the comments and kudos (here and on my other stories) and it really makes me want to keep going. Thanks for sticking with me through this and I promise more sexytimes are coming up soon.


	13. Focus

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Nora left MacCready in Goodneighbor, as he had some business to take care of. She felt a little bit nervous, having gotten used to having him at her back. She was more than a little apprehensive as she stepped off the vertibird onto the Prydwen. The last time she saw Elder Maxson was when she threw a cum-soaked shirt in his face. Not something she thought the leader of the Brotherhood of Steel would take lightly. 

Nora’s own anger had dissipated somewhat in the intervening weeks, and she’d been left with just a feeling of regret, tinged with a low aching sort of _craving._ She wished things had gone differently. She frowned. She still wasn’t entirely certain what had made him so angry in the first place. Maybe she’d have a chance to talk to him in private, and they could sort all this out.

When she walked into the Command Deck, Maxson’s back was turned and he was in conversation with Proctor Ingram over some kind of plans. Nora took a moment to admire his broad shoulders and tapered waist for a minute before finally clearing her throat.

Maxson and Ingram turned. Nora searched his face but he showed no emotion. “Ah. Knight Sullivan. Welcome back to the Prydwen. What is your report?”

Nora frowned slightly, but then began. She explained that she had retrieved the chip and now required her power armour and supplies to make a second trip back into the Glowing Sea so the scientist there could finish providing her with means to enter the Institute.

Ingram spoke up. “That’s excellent news, Knight!” She turned to Maxson. “I shall step up work on our other plans. You should consider assigning Paladin Danse to escort Knight Sullivan. They work well together, and he is already familiar with the region.”

Nora watched Arthur’s face tighten and he didn’t say anything for a long minute. Finally, he gritted out, “Agreed.”

Ingram smiled. “Excellent.” she said. “I will head down with you to have a look at your power armour, and we can call out a vertibird for the Paladin.” She looked at Maxson. He frowned, and then turned back to the bay of windows. 

“Dismissed.” he barked.

***

Nora had a chance to clean herself up and get into fresh clothing, and then she headed down to meet with Ingram. They discussed the dangers Nora had faced on her previous trip, and Ingram said she would get to work on the armour and other essentials right away. Danse would be there in the morning, and they would finish prep work and leave promptly the following morning. 

Ingram was ostensibly helping Nora with her power armour. However, Nora wasn’t particularly skilled in that area, and so Ingram was doing all the work as Nora started poking around a bit, before she finally settled in a corner and began playing with her Pip-Boy.

Eventually, the dulcet tones of Zeta Invaders irritated Ingram enough that she told her to go leave her alone, and get some food or something. So Nora left the hangar and went to grab some dinner.

Nora was still picking away at something which she suspected was radroach and perusing her map when a shadow fell over her. She looked up to find Arthur standing over her, holding his own tray of radroach.

“Mind if I join you?” He asked.

She nodded. 

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Nora idly twiddling the dials on her Pip-boy. She was intensely aware of his nearness, heat coming off him like radiation, sinking into her flesh and making her bones feel like glowing. She wasn’t sure why he was there… was almost ready to get up and leave, when he finally spoke. 

“I… just wanted to apologize.... say I’m sorry for how I behaved.” 

Nora’s eyes shot to his face. He was looking at her, somewhat uncertainly. “I stand by my orders. But. Well, I should have behaved more professionally.” A red flush began creeping up his face, making him look suddenly younger. Reminding her that he was only twenty years old. Suddenly she smiled at him. 

Arthur didn’t smile back. His gaze held hers, and she looked back into his eyes as her smile slowly faded. She watched as his blue eyes seemed to turn black, his eyelids lowering slightly. Nora felt heat rising through her body. Her heart began to race and she took a deep, shuddering breath. The sound drew his eyes away from hers for a moment and he watched her chest rise and fall as her breathing sped up and she fought the urge to squirm in her seat. Her eyes were drawn to his full lower lip, and she pictured herself biting it and sucking on it. She licked her own lip instead, and when he softly sucked in his breath, her insides turned to molten lava.

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain her composure, but she could feel him watching her. She didn’t seem to be getting enough air, so she began breathing through her mouth. Her eyes flew back open again when she heard him shift slightly in his seat, and when she caught his eye, he let out a low, ragged breath and his fist clenched on the table. 

Suddenly he leaned forward slightly and whispered, “I have a bottle of wine in my room if you would care to join me for a drink later.” 

Nora just whispered, “Yes,” with a glance around at the other people in the room. 

With that, Arthur stood up, and nodding at her, said, “Good evening, Knight.” before striding away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't get them to get up from the damn table. They refused to budge. 
> 
>  
> 
> Going out of town for the weekend, may not be able to post. Which sucks because I think about this all day and just want to get it out.


	14. Maybe

Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, Nora headed to Arthur’s room. She tapped softly on the door. She waited a moment, but there was no answer. She tapped again, louder this time. There was still no answer. Her face reddened, and she turned to leave, running straight into a broad chest.

Arthur’s hands reached up to steady her. “Sorry,” he said. He held up his hand, a pair of coffee cups dangling off of one finger. “I only had one cup.”

He leaned closer as he reached around her to open the door. He smelled like musk and leather. He stepped back and indicated that she should go in ahead of him. He followed her in and shut the door. Setting the two cups on the table, he went to his desk and retrieved the bottle of wine. Opening it with his pocketknife, he poured them each a measure. His fingers brushed hers as he handed her the cup. 

They both stood there, awkwardly. Each one burning with need but neither able to make the first move.

She took a sip. It was not the best wine she’d ever had. She grimaced slightly, then set the cup on the table. Then she took a step closer to him. She breathed in his scent, a little bit of mechanical ship smell, the leather from his coat, and the acrid harshness of the ancient bottle of wine all blended with his inherent _maleness_.

She reached out a finger to stroke the soft fleece of his collar, then slipped a hand inside. He was wearing Brotherhood issued cargo pants and a white t-shirt. She traced her finger down his chest, over his flat stomach, to the waistband of his pants, then back up again. She hooked her finger into the chain of his holotags and pulled his face down to hers.

Arthur stopped a millimeter away from Nora’s lips. He paused a moment, their breath mingling, then his lips were on hers. She opened her lips with a breathless sigh, and slid her hands up his chest to wind around his neck. 

He brought his hands up to her face, but then realized he still had the cup of wine in his hand. Pulling back, he realized he couldn’t reach the table, so he quickly drained the glass and tossed the cup onto the bed. 

When his mouth returned to hers, Nora slid her tongue into his mouth to stroke gently behind his top teeth, tasting the bitterness of the wine in his mouth. He gently grasped her tongue with his teeth, then sucked on it, long and slow. 

His fingers slowly wove through her hair. Her fingers were at the back of his head, gently stroking the short, soft fuzz at the nape of his neck and causing a shiver to run down his spine. Nora leaned into him, and he pulled her backwards towards the bed, where he pulled her down onto his lap, straddling him. His hands found her waist and slipped under her t-shirt to grasp her waist.  
He stroked her soft belly for a moment, before his hands began sliding upwards. Nora grasped her shirt and pulled it off over her head. His hands were big enough to cover her generous breasts and she gasped and leaned into him. He slid his hands around her back and tried to undo her bra. After a moment he said a frustrated “fuck” under his breath, and Nora reached around to undo it, causing her to spill free into his face. 

His hands were back on her again as he cupped and lifted her, his thumbs flicking her nipples gently. He leaned forward and flicked her nipple with his tongue, and Nora shuddered in his arms. His mouth covered her, and he sucked. He was surprised when a trickle of warm milk flowed into his mouth. He looked up at her.

“I thought this was going to dry up with the wrapping?”

“It helped with the engorgement and the leaking, but I don’t think it goes away entirely for a long time.”

Arthur smiled, pleased, and then latched on again, suckling until he was rewarded with a steady stream of milk. He groaned in pleasure.

Nora felt him harden against her belly as he sucked, and she leaned back into his arms and ground herself against his erection. She watched him through half-lidded eyes, heat shooting straight from her breasts to her abdomen. She rubbed himself against him harder, moaning now, as he moved to her other breast. The cloth of their pants rubbing together causing a delicious friction and she felt something coiling inside her like a spring. She wrapped her arms around his head and he held her tightly around the waist as suddenly the spring let go. She threw her head back and cried out, stilling her body and pressing hard against him.

He held her like that, still nuzzling her breasts, until she came down enough to move again. She slid off of his lap and stood up. His hands came to her pants and he unbuttoned them, pushing them down over her bum and her knees until they fell in a pool on the floor. His hands were on her hips, and his thumbs dug into the soft flesh of her belly, while his tongue traced the lines there.

He snaked his hand around her thigh and slipped his hand between her legs from behind, nudging her foot with his to make her open her legs more. His fingers gently caressed her inner thigh, coming so close to her still-sensitive labia that that her hips twitched and she groaned in frustration. He smiled against her belly and did it again, coming closer to her sex but not touching her each time, until she was crying out and writhing in his arms. 

“Please” she softly begged, fingers tightly clenched in his hair, so he obliged her by laying back on the bed and pulling her along with him, until she found herself straddled across his face, her hands and forehead pressed to the wall for balance. 

She was open to him, and so exposed, and she ached for him to touch her. Instead he just blew gently, ruffling the soft hair of her mons, and holding her away from him with his strong hands on her behind. He turned his head and licked the inside of her thigh, and she strained against his hands, trying to get closer, but he wouldn’t let her. 

Just when Nora thought she couldn’t take it any more, that she was going to die of frustration, he reached out the tip of his tongue and tasted her. She exploded, a long cry escaping her lips, and he relaxed his grip on her, so she could fuck his face as she came. He slid one long finger into her so he could feel her orgasm on his finger, and pulled her sex into his mouth, lapping up her juices until she stilled against him again. 

When she finally pulled away and slid down his body, her thighs were chafed from his beard, and deliciously raw as they slid along either side of his torso. When she got to his waist, she realized he was still wearing his pants, so she rose, and began undoing his buttons. He lifted his hips to help her, then, sitting up, pulled her back onto his lap.

His cock was like a rock as her slick wet opening slid along the length of him. His hands grasped her waist, and lifting her slightly, he nudged at her entrance, and guiding her with his hands, he slid inside her. 

Her mouth came down on his, and they wrapped their arms around each other as she slowly rode him, until the pressure was too much and he fell back onto the bed and he lifted her up onto his thighs, and spilled out onto his belly.

***

They lay like that for a long while, until finally he got up, and grabbing a cloth and some purified water, came back and gently wiped her off, and then himself. Her eyelids were heavy and drooping as he covered her with the blanket and climbed in beside her, her back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around her as they both fell asleep.


	15. Night and Day

He came to that halfway place between dreaming and awake, his rough limbs tangled together with her smooth ones, one hand warm between her breasts, nose pressed to the nape of her neck. His hand skimmed down her side and belly, resting a moment at her silky curls. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer, nestling his half-hard length between her buttocks, soft and warm. The fleeting thought passed through his mind to slip his hand between her thighs and wake her up. But just now she was all comfort and security and something he didn’t remember from long ago, surrounding him as he surrounded her, and the last thought that passed through his mind as he fell back asleep was that he would stay like this for just one more moment. 

***

The busy early morning sounds of the Prydwen was what woke Nora. She laid comfortable for a moment, enjoying Arthur’s warmth pressed against her back, until she suddenly realized that she had stayed the whole night. Turning over, she shook him awake. 

“Arthur!” She whispered. “Wake up. It’s day and I shouldn’t be in here.” 

“Hmm?” He groaned, trying to pull her closer and stay in the cocoon of sleep.

“I’m supposed to report to Ingram this morning. There’s all kinds of people outside. I need to leave.”

The dregs of sleep began to fade at her words. He sat up, rubbing his face and yawning. “Don’t worry about it. Get dressed.” He pressed a light kiss to her lips, then standing, began to dress in his fatigues and coat. 

When they were both dressed, he indicated for her to stand behind the door. Then, opening it, he stepped out into the passage and began barking orders at the various crew members that he saw, sending them scurrying off to different parts of the ship. When the area was clear, he went back into his room and announced, “Your passage is clear!” and then in a slightly grandiose gesture, he opened the door for her with a slight bow. Nora smiled at him as she passed, and scurried off to the privy. 

***

When Nora entered the Hangar later, she was thrilled to see Paladin Danse already there, discussing something with Proctor Ingram as they inspected his power armour. She resisted the urge to squeal and run over and hug him, and instead settled for a brilliant smile and a wave as she caught his eye. A slight smile crossed his face when he saw her, but it passed quickly and he waved her over.

“Good morning, Paladin.” She said when she got near. “Did you just arrive?” 

“No. Last night. We have a lot to do.” He replied. Turning to Ingram, he said, “Well, then, you see to these repairs, we will start working with Teagan to compile these supplies.” At that, Ingram turned back to the power armour, and Danse turned to Nora. 

“I understand your mission was a success, even without my assistance. I’d be happy to hear about it while we work.”

So Nora told Danse all about MacCready, and the hunt for the courser, trying to make it as entertaining as possible in the hopes of eliciting a smile. 

***

“You oaf!” she snorted at him a few hours later as she elbowed him in the arm. “We could carry a lot more fusion cells if we just left the minigun behind. Plus that thing burns through the ammo like crazy.”

Danse rubbed his hand through his hair in frustration. They had been bickering about this for twenty minutes. He looked her in the eye and then sighed. Clearly he wasn’t going to win this debate. “Fine.” He said, a snorting laugh escaping him as she stuck her tongue out at him and began removing 5mm ammo from the pack. 

Nora looked up at the sound, but her eyes were drawn past Danse to Arthur as he entered the room. His eyes were narrowed and he glowered as he approached. 

“Knight Sullivan, if I may. A word.” He indicated that she should go ahead of him. He followed her out of the hangar bay and down the stairs to the storage area below. His eyes were drawn to her legs as they walked, and he wanted nothing more than to bury his face in her mound as she wrapped her legs around his head.

As soon as they were out of sight, he took her by the hand and pulled her behind a stack of crates. He kissed her hotly and she clasped his shirt and pulled him closer. “I missed you this morning” he moaned into her mouth, and he thrust his leg between her thighs as he pressed her up against the boxes.

Nora smiled at his words and pressed closer to him, fingers creeping up to rest at his neck. His hands slid to her waist and he began to inch her shirt up. She covered his hands with hers, and removed them, and then smiling up at him, she said breathlessly, “we can’t do this right now, Danse is waiting for me.”

Sudden anger contracted Arthur’s chest at her words. “Why are you so eager to get back to Danse?” he snapped. “Maybe I should just order you to stay here.”

Nora was taken aback by his abrupt mood change. She gave him a push. “I need to go on this mission to find _my son, sir._ This isn’t some holiday vacation.”

She turned to leave. He reached for her arm, but she brushed his hands away. “I don’t know why you get this way every time I need to work with him.”

Arthur’s brows lowered in fury. “I see how you smile and laugh at him.” he said, raising his voice with every word. “He follows you everywhere like a dog.You head off and hang around with ghouls and synth _abominations._ Doing god knows what.”

Nora looked him in the eye. “Fuck you, Arthur,” she said, before turning on her heel and walking away.

Arthur stood for a minute until she was gone, then he put his head in his hands and wondered how he had got that so wrong.


	16. Sweetness and Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments, guys! Knowing I have people following this is really motivating me and keeping me excited to continue!

“No. No, Nora. Put that down. Seriously, we can’t carry one more single thing. I will knock that out of your hands.”

Deacon glared at her until she put the toaster down with a sigh. 

“Listen, we’re gonna have to make a drop sooner or later. The police station is closer. Let’s just stop for something to eat, and then we can head that way. It’s only a couple hours away.”

Nora just looked at her reflection in his sunglasses for a few minutes, and then nodded. She headed to the top floor of the ruined building they were looting and set her pack down in a sunny spot, opening it up and pulling out some dried radstag meat and a half-squished mutfruit. “I might have a Nuka-Cola in here too,” she said, shoving her arm shoulder-deep into the pack. 

She handed Deacon his lunch, and they both sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the noon sun, and Nora thought back on the last six weeks. 

Her trip back to the Glowing Sea with Danse had gone without incident. She had reported back to Ingram with the plans Virgil had drawn up, and Ingram had said that she could build the device, but it was going to take some time and a lot of scrap. 

On returning to the Prydwen proper, Danse had been reassigned to the police station, and Nora had been assigned to collect material for Ingram’s construction of the molecular relay. In private, the assignment had led to an argument with Arthur, and she had left for the Third Rail to round up MacCready. From there, they had travelled to the Old North Church to see what they could do to help the Railroad people, and Deacon had joined up with them as they checked drops, helped synths, and checked on safehouses, picking up scrap all along the way.

Nora had been checking in with the Brotherhood fairly regularly, about every fourth day or so, to drop off scrap and report in. Her reports to Ingram were fairly straightforward. She dropped off the scrap and got updated lists of items to watch out for. After a while, Nora slowly started to suspect that Ingram may have more than one project on the go, as they were clearing an area in front of the main entrance of the airport as well as along the side where the molecular relay was being built. 

Her reports to Elder Maxson were not so straightforward. They seemed just as likely to end in fighting as they were in fucking. She had enough self-awareness to realize she enjoyed the uncertainty and excitement. However, it meant her trips to the airship were not the relaxing break from the stresses of travelling the Commonwealth that they should be. 

Two weeks ago, Deacon had had to leave for a while on an escort mission, so Nora and MacCready had gone after some gunners, and then headed to a medical facility to retrieve some medicine. He had a sick son, back in the Capital Wasteland. Nora’s heart broke at his story, and she wanted to do what she could to help him. 

They met back up with Deacon after that, and then MacCready left them to go have the medication delivered, so it was just Deacon and Nora now. They had just come from depositing a sensor for Tom, and were picking their way back towards HQ.

***

Nora hadn’t been sure what to think about Deacon at first. He was funny, and sarcastic, and had a way of making her laugh like nobody else she had ever met. But he also had a tendency to go broody and not talk for hours at a time. Any attempt to pry information out of him resulted in distraction and joking. And half the things he told her were lies. She almost shot him on two separate occasions when he appeared beside her looking completely differently than he had five minutes before. 

Despite all that, she’d grown to trust him, and they had developed true affection and respect for one another. She had told him all about the Vault and Nate, and Shaun. She told him about why she had joined the Brotherhood, and how they were building something to get her inside of the Institute. She really only held back when it came to her relationship with Arthur Maxson. She wasn’t really ready to talk about that yet.

She looked over at Deacon. He had pulled out a battered book and started reading, laid back on the floor enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze. He put the book down on his chest. 

“What are you reading now?” Nora asked, laying back herself and watching a cloud roll lazily by. Deacon held up the book. Hans Christian Andersen. “Fairy tales?” She snickered. 

“Hey, it’s not like there’s a lot of options.” He retorted.

They lay in silence a few more minutes. Then Nora rolled on her side to face him. “Tell me a story,” she said. It was something she said to him a lot. Deacon was one of the most well read people she’d met in the Commonwealth. And he often entertained her and MacCready with tales as they walked along. 

Deacon picked up his book and pretended to flip through it. “Ahh. Here we go.” he began.

“Once upon a time there was a fairy princess who woke from a thousand year spell. She was scared and alone, until she was rescued by the crew of a pirate ship. And she lived with them, sailing up and down the coast, taking whatever they wanted. One day she met a gang of…..dwarves. They lived in an underground palace. They worked and toiled to rescue elves… from… an evil wizard. The princess stayed up every night trying to decide if she should stay with the pirates who rescued her and help them plunder the village, or leave to live with the dwarves in their magical underground kingdom.”

“Real subtle, Deeks,” said Nora. 

Deacon sat up and looked at her. “Look. I notice things. And I noticed you way before you found us. I’ve seen how you treat people, even ghouls and synths. Your style doesn’t exactly mesh with the Brotherhood. I’ve seen how sometimes you drag your feet when it’s time to go up there, and how sometimes you’re so excited to get there you’re practically running. I want to trust you but it’s hard to when I can’t always tell where your loyalties lie. I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, especially since right now they are doing the Commonwealth a great service by finding a way to get you into the Institute. But if...no...when you make it back from there, I think you’re going to have some tough decisions to make.”

“There're other organizations out there. And, in time, I'm sure they're going to spoon-feed you their own patented form of bullshit. Ignore the verbiage and look at what they're doing. What they're asking you to do. What sort of world they'd have you build and how they're going to pay for it.”

“Heavy topic for a Sunday afternoon picnic, Deacon.”

“Is it Sunday?” 

“I have no idea.” Nora sighed. “We better get going.”

***

They made it to the Cambridge police station with no further incident. Nora asked Deacon if he wanted to stay outside, which is what he usually did, but he decided to come in this time. He figured he was probably due to have a look around the place. Nora greeted the knight at the door as they entered. Deacon took note of the knights and scribes busily going about their tasks, mentally assessing the layout of the building.

Deacon followed Nora into the file room, where she found Paladin Danse going over a map with another knight. Deacon had seen Danse before from a distance, but not up close. He leaned on the wall near the entrance and watched as Danse nodded at Nora when he saw her, then finished up with the other knight, and dismissing him, turned to her.

“It’s good to see you Knight.” he said.

“Hey, Paladin. Guess what. I brought you a present.” She dug in her bag, and pulled out a packet of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes. His eyes lit up when she tossed them to him. Behind his glasses, Deacon raised an eyebrow. _Interesting._ he thought to himself.

“I have a load of things to deliver to the airport. I just thought I would drop it off here today since it’s closer and a bit easier to bring on one of the regular transports.”

“About that, Soldier” said Danse. I have received a message that if you are to show up here, you are to report to the airport ASAP. Apparently the project is a go. The next flight out should be in about an hour.”

Nora turned to Deacon. Before she could speak, he straightened up. “Say no more, Boss. You go ahead, and I will catch you up back at the usual place.” Nodding his head to the Paladin, he turned to go. Nora walked him to the door, holding it open for him.

He turned to her just before he left. “You be careful. You can’t trust everyone. Let me know when you get back safe.” He gave her hand a quick squeeze, then turned to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hell of a time writing Deacon. He's a slippery one. Kudos to any and all of you other writers who can pin him down for a whole story. But I think I'm through this hurdle!
> 
> Arthur is back next chapter. Serious spoilers shall begin probably the chapter after that if you're worried.


	17. Transparent

“Great. You’re here.” said Proctor Ingram when Nora greeted her at the Boston Airport landing pad. “Come have a look.” Nora followed Ingram as she powered her way through the building, out the big door, past a pile of large metal pieces that were stacked about, and around the side where the molecular relay had finally been assembled.

“Truly a thing of beauty, that.” Ingram boasted loudly over the roar of generators plugged into it. The thing was massive, at least twenty feet tall, and hummed unnervingly. 

“We are picking up a signal every hour or so.” Ingram shouted. “We should be able to latch onto it and beam you on in pretty soon. We have some minor adjustments to make and we should be ready to go in the morning. You need to head up to the Prydwen and report in, then do any final prep you need to do. We’re gonna send you in at 07:17 sharp tomorrow morning!”

Nora could only nod, her heart pounding in her chest in dread and anticipation.

***

A short time later, she was stepping off the vertibird onto the Prydwen. Her stomach was in knots. She headed inside and towards Proctor Quinlan’s office, where she dropped off a stack of technical documents with a Grognak tucked between them. He wasn’t in his office, so she left them on the desk and petted the kitty on her way out.

She headed to her bunk next, and laid down on her bed, her arm over her eyes. She was so fucking terrified. All she wanted was for someone to come and take over and carry her off and tell her she’d be safe. It felt like it had been nothing but fear and tension since she’d stepped out of that vault. And she just once wanted someone else to take care of her.

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew a squire was shaking her awake, telling her that Elder Maxson wanted to see her on the Command Deck. 

Nora quickly changed into clean pants and a shirt. She didn’t know what to expect when she got down there, but she knew even if Arthur wasn’t going to take care of her, at least he’d distract her.

***

When she stepped onto the Command Deck, Arthur was standing at the windows, back to her, hands clasped behind him, and legs braced apart. The sun had gone down and the moon was rising. She stood a moment, trying to capture the sight in her mind forever. The pirate captain at the brow of his ship, the sky his domain. She wanted to stay there beside him for always, the captured fairy princess.

Her stomach clenched at the brief fantasy. The guard usually stationed just outside the door was gone. It was only the two of them there, although the crew above created dim echoes that rang through the airship, reminding her that they were never really alone on the Prydwen. Nora cleared her throat. 

When Arthur turned around, Nora was surprised to see his brows lowered in anger. Hers narrowed in return. It seemed they were in for a fight this round. “You went to the police station.” he bit out. 

_This again,_ thought Nora. “I had material to drop off. It was closer.” She watched him carefully, then deliberately said, “Plus, I wanted to catch up with Danse.” 

She got the reaction she wanted. Arthur always got riled up when she mentioned Danse. When she’d caught on, she’d started doing it on purpose just to make him lose control. Her pussy moistened when she saw him glower harder at her, his fists opening and closing at his sides. She walked up to him and put her hand on the collar of his coat. She played idly with the soft wool there for a minute, before looking him in the eye. She whispered, “And, I brought one of my many, _many_ handsome mercenary bodyguards along to boot.” 

His hand thrust into her hair, and his fingers tightened in the strands. He tilted her head back and slammed his mouth down onto hers. Her hand slid down to grab him through his pants and he bucked into her hand, before grabbing her wrist and pulling it behind her, pressing her harder into his chest. His free hand left her hair and roamed down her back to her ass, pressing between her cheeks through the fabric briefly before sliding to the front and sliding into the top of her pants

Nora still had a hand free. She snaked it down between them and began fumbling at his belt. “You should see the things we get up to out there, travelling around the Commonwealth,” she whispered against his mouth as his hand went lower. “We stay in old shacks...all alone in the….ohhhhh Arthur...ahhh...” she breathed, suddenly incoherent as his finger found her slit and slipped inside. 

He stroked his finger around her nub, then back inside, then around again, until she was panting, her breath hitching in her breath as she came closer and closer, tension winding through her belly and down her legs until the only thing holding her up was his grip on her wrist at her back. 

Just as she was about to explode, he removed his hand, leaving her keening in need. He pulled her shirt off over her head and pulled her bra down under her breasts forcing them to spill up and out. He squeezed them roughly and pulled at her nipples until they stood up. Her pussy clamped on nothing and she canted her hips at him and gasped out “please…”

He turned her around so she faced the glass of the windows, pushing on her shoulders to press her against the glass. It was cold on her sensitive nipples, and they hardened even more. She felt him tugging her pants down to her knees, and then his hands left her as he pulled down his own pants. Then his hands were on her hips as he hitched her ass closer to him. He slid between her legs, stroking himself against her throbbing lips, until she moaned and tried to press herself to him. 

He pulled back slightly, and then she felt his beard on her shoulder and his breath on her neck as he said into her ear, “I bet they can see us right now through this window. I bet they’re watching right now. Your mercenaries and your Paladin, the whole goddamn Commonwealth, they can all watch through this window as I fuck you and then they can see who you belong to.”

And then he entered her, hard, and she pressed her forehead against the glass, and gripped the railing and then braced her feet against his boots, meeting his thrusts as he slammed into her until something snapped inside her and she came undone. His fingers dug into her hips, holding her up, and then he suddenly threw back his head and with a deep groan, emptied himself inside her, her still-throbbing walls milking him for every drop. 

***

“Can you come stay with me tonight?” he asked her as they replaced their clothing. 

“I have to get my things ready first. We’re gonna try teleporting first thing in the morning.”

Arthur could see the worry in her eyes. “The door’s open if you need me.”

***

He was asleep when she crept into his room later, but he came partially awake and, moving over slightly, lifted his blankets to let her in, then wrapped his arms around her and went back to sleep.

He dreamed about his mother for the first time in years. It was the same dream, and she was leaving him. He cried out for her to come back but she turned her back to him and he was left with nothing but cold steel. 

When he woke up, Nora was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! I'm on a roll here! 
> 
> I hope you all like this one, I have been picturing it almost since before I started, and it came out even better than I imagined it. And then I found a picture someone made online that almost exactly illustrated what I was imagining. Which I saved on my phone which I just smashed over the weekend. So now I can't find it anymore. :( 
> 
> Anyways, spoilers for anything after Institutionalized starts next chapter, and then Blind Betrayal sometime shortly after that. So go play the game while you wait if you aren't caught up!!


	18. A Darkness in the Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically the Institutionalized quest. But with _feelings._

Nora didn’t know what kind of pre-war social skill she drew upon. Maybe it was the legal training, or the suburbian housewife gig, or the military wife social circuit, but somehow, she kept the smile plastered on her face as she strolled around the Institute, meeting department heads, asking questions about projects, and nodding as they proudly showed her the various _things_ they had created. 

Inside she screamed, _keep smiling. Keep smiling. Keepsmilingsmilingsmiling._

She had thought the worst horror would be when the man came around the corner and shut down her _notson_ son, explaining he was an experiment. Bait to lure her in. The man explained. He was Father. The leader of the Institute. He put his hand on his chest and nodded graciously to her, as though he were granting her a great gift, a gracious _endowment_ of himself, and told her “I… am Shaun. I am...your son.”

And she had looked at him, and she had seen her father-in-law, most of all, in his cheekbones and the line of his brow. But the tiny bump in the nose, that was hers. 

She wanted to start screaming then but years of ingrained habits from college to courtrooms to smiling at that sweet dull face that came in through the front door on furlough, all of those muscle memory brainwashing moments piled on and all she said was, “Shaun? Sweety? It’s… so nice to finally meet you.” 

And this man who had grown in her womb and nursed at her breast and who grew up in this cold, sterile place accepted her calm, pleasant tone as the normal and correct response. And he showed her around and gave her quarters and told her to explore for a while and then meet him for a cup of tea afterwards. And so she did, chatting with the doctors and the scientists, and watching as they built people from soup, who all greeted her with an identical “I’m new here” until she wanted to scream. 

And she watched as scientists berated the synths, told them they were nothing, threatened them with annihilation for minor infractions, ignoring the fear in their eyes as they turned their faces to the ground. Nora thought they were like children, when they talked. Their wide eyed look and questioning voices whispering to themselves. She thought of the few synths she had seen at the railroad, their fear and questions, their innocent insecurity, and it all fell into place.

She had the presence of mind to slip the holotape Ingram had given her into the computer in every major area she went into, downloading maps and scientific data and SRB records. And she allowed the other scientist from Advanced Systems to put in a courser chip in her Pip-boy so she could just come and go as she pleased _now that I have no earthly reason to want to get in here I just can, easy as pressing a button._ And it all happened, and she just. Kept. Smiling.

She found her quarters. She stifled a desperate laugh as it had everything she could ever need. Clean clothes, a bed, a shower, fucking _toilet paper._

The Institute had everything she needed. But nothing she wanted. And her baby was gone. The child she had been adjusting to in her mind was false. All she was left with was a cold, unpleasant, _thing,_ devoid of even the trace humanity he had accidentally bestowed on his creations.

She understood why the Brotherhood wanted to destroy this place. But even more, she understood why the Railroad wanted to save these poor children that were created, kept in coldness, and then deleted on a whim. 

She looked at her Pip-Boy, pondering the map. She had the ability to transfer herself to anywhere in the Commonwealth. Literally any place on the map. She could just zap herself, like a Courser. Here and there, wherever. Of course, it was all linked into the Institute mainframe, so records would be kept. But she had to get out of here. She couldn’t stay. 

She considered the Prydwen, but she knew she’d be pressed for reports and her emotional state couldn’t handle the Brotherhood’s demands. Or Arthur’s. Her house in Sanctuary Hills was out of the question, strangers had moved in, tended to by her old robot butler. Diamond City? No, Piper asked too many questions. 

Her finger paused over the Old North Church. Deacon would be there. He said to meet her. He’d listen, and not press. And she could rest, and get something to eat. And maybe something she’d seen would be helpful. But she didn’t want to compromise their location. She’d have to walk there.

A moment later, she stood in front of Bunker Hill. She was a little disorientated, but she shook her head, loaded her pistol, and headed for the bridge. 

***

Glory was the first to greet her when she came in the door. They weren’t terribly close, but even Glory could recognize bone-deep exhaustion when she saw it, so she took Nora by the arm and brought her into the main catacomb. She led her to a private corner and called for Deacon.

When he found her, she was sitting down on a mattress, leaned against the cold brick wall, her arms folded on her knees and her forehead resting on her arms. He asked her if she needed Dr. Carrington, but she was fine. She looked at him. “I just need to rest.”

He sat down beside her. “Do you need to talk?” 

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” 

“Why don’t you tell me about Shaun.” 

“Shaun’s...not a baby. Not even a kid, Deacon. Jesus. They stole him sixty years ago. He’s old. Older than me. And the kicker? The fucking kicker? He’s the leader of the goddamn Institute.” 

She started laughing. a hawking, desperate noise that sounded more like crying. And Deacon’s mind reeled at this news. He’d heard of Father, the Director, the Boogeyman of the Institute, come to take all the little children away. But to hear that he was the child Nora had been fighting so hard to get back? Insane.

He realized belatedly that she was still talking, crying now, mumbling into her arms things about children and white walls, and a holotape and toilet paper. He couldn’t make out half of what she said. He rubbed her back and let her mumble on for a good half hour, until finally, she sort of trailed off. He snagged a threadbare afghan from a nearby bed and wrapped it around her, and then encouraged her to lay down, telling her to get some rest. After a bit, he saw her breathing slow as she fell asleep. 

Deacon continued to sit there on the edge of the mattress for a while, rubbing her back and thinking about what she had said. She said… something about a holotape. 

Easing himself off of the mattress so as to not disturb her, he reached for her pack. He rifled through it for a moment, then, finding nothing, replaced it near her head. He then spotted her Pip-boy on her arm, her vitals showing on the screen as absolutely peachy-keen. He hit the button on the top, ejecting the holotape. He slid it out carefully, then closing the lid, crept off quietly

He found Tinker Tom messing around with something, muttering under his breath. “Hey, Tom.” he said, quietly. “You think you can make me a copy of this? Like, on the downlow? And super quick?”

“No prob, boss,” 

***

An hour later, having slid the original tape back into Nora’s Pip-boy, Deacon took himself over to a terminal with the extra copy. He began scrolling through the data, browsing through files on facilities, maintenance, and lab data. He opened the SRB file with some interest. It contained a long list of missing synths. He recognized quite a few, having helped dozens of them himself over the years, but there were many he had had nothing to do with, including some that were before his time. 

Suddenly he stopped, his fist clenched over the keys. He’d almost scrolled past, the long row of blurry photos beginning to run together. But he’d seen a face he recognized. And not one from any rescue he’d been involved with. His eyes narrowed as he peered at the picture, making sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. 

_Well holy shit!_ he thought to himself.


	19. Secrets

“So what you’re telling me is that you can basically teleport anywhere in the Commonwealth at will. Including the Institute.” Desdemona’s face held little evidence of the shock she must have been feeling at this revelation, but the cigarette held between her fingers burned away to ash unsmoked.

“I think so,” replied Nora. “Although most likely they are monitoring me every time I do that. I don’t really know how badly I want them to be tracking my movements.”

Desdemona nodded. “We’ll have to keep that in mind. This changes a lot of things. Especially with regards to the Institute and the synths there. Try not to use that for anything for a few days. Especially not anywhere near this place.”

Nora nodded. 

Deacon stepped forward. “We really ought to get her back to the Brotherhood for now, Dez. She was spotted over by Bunker Hill; at least that’s what the rumours say. And if the Brotherhood finds out that she made it out of the Institute without going straight there, they’re gonna start looking for her.”

Desdemona could only agree with that assessment, so Deacon began making plans to escort her to the Cambridge police station. “Why not go right to the airport?” asked Nora. “It’s the same distance, roughly.”

“The way is easier through Cambridge,” he reminded her. “Just some raiders, lots of cover. And they have a vertibird twice a day to the airport anyway.”

Nora was satisfied with that answer. She had slept for over ten hours, but she was still so emotionally exhausted, she was just happy to have someone else making the decisions for now. 

***

“Back before I met you I’d go whole _days_ without massacring a bunch of things. Honest.”

Deacon waited expectantly for her to laugh, or smile. But Nora kept on digging through raider pockets looking for ammo and caps. He sighed to himself. They had at least a few hours of walking left before they arrived at the police station, and he knew he’d have to leave her there shortly after they arrived. Now was really his best chance to talk to her. He crouched down in front of her. 

“Nora.”

She ignored him.

“Nora.” he said again, putting his hand on her arm. “Look at me.” 

Finally she stopped what she was doing and looked at him. He had taken off his sunglasses and was looking her directly in the eye. 

“Do you remember my synth recall code?” 

Nora snorted. He had played a prank on her by pretending to be a synth and entrusting her with his “recall code”, which turned out just to be “Don’t trust everyone” jotted on a scrap of paper.

Deacon continued, “Listen, it’s important. I’ve been to the Capital Wasteland, and I know what these Brotherhood types are like. You can’t tell them everything. Wait and see what you can trust them with before you share. See what they do with the intel you do give them before you trust them with more.”

Nora opened her mouth to speak, but Deacon hushed her and continued. “Look, I know you’ve been there a while, and I’m sure you have people you care about. Like your Paladin friend. And others. But you can’t always trust everyone even if you care about them. If you believe anything, believe this. I’m in your corner. Always have been. But you need to be careful. Actions speak louder than words.”

Nora sat quietly, for a moment, thinking. And then she nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

***

They arrived at the police station shortly afterwards, Deacon trailing behind her as she walked through the gate. They found Danse just inside the courtyard, issuing orders to a young scribe who was nodding vehemently and taking notes on a clipboard. They waited for them to finish, then Nora greeted him. 

An uncharacteristically broad smile lit up his face when he saw her. He strode over, his armoured footsteps loud on the broken concrete. He took her shoulders in his hands and looked down at her. “I’m pleased you made it back safely, Knight. Any word on your son?”

Nora shook her head, breaking eye contact with him. She glanced at Deacon. “He’s gone.” she said, after a moment. “We can talk about it later.”

Danse had seen her glance at Deacon, and he looked over at the other man. Deacon stepped forward, and put his hand out. “Deacon.” he said. “Nora...hired me to watch her back.”

Nora was surprised. Deacon usually preferred to stay in the shadows and let her do the talking. She watched as Deacon shook Danse’s hand. “Say…” said Deacon. “You wouldn’t happen to be the Paladin Danse I’m looking for… because I happened to run into this caravanner in Bunker Hill and he passed along a letter for a Paladin Danse in the Brotherhood of Steel. And, well, he had to head back to the Capital Wasteland, and I wasn’t about to turn down a few caps to deliver a note.”

Nora watched, bemused, as Deacon pulled Danse aside and dug in his pockets for the letter, and then walked back to her side. 

“What was that all about?” she asked him.

“Nothing, boss. Just doing someone a favour.” Nora narrowed her eyes at him. He was such a good liar, she never knew if what he said was true or not. But it didn’t seem to have anything to do with her, and she had bigger problems to worry about, so she dropped it. 

Danse stepped back in front of her. “The vertibird should be here in an hour or so. If you want to clean up or anything. I think one of the scribes made some soup earlier if you are hungry.” He turned to Deacon. “She’s in good hands here.” Deacon nodded, then turned to Nora and said, “You know where I’ll be.” And then he strode out the front gate and disappeared around the corner. 

Danse followed her into the station. “I have some work to do right now, but I will come see you off when the ‘bird arrives. Let me know if you need anything.” He nodded, and then turned into the office.

Nora headed over to the scribe and grabbed a dish of soup, then headed up to the roof to be alone with her thoughts while she waited for her ride. 

***

The sound of the vertibird approaching woke Nora from her reflection. She set her empty dish on the ground and turned as the door opened behind her and Danse stepped out onto the roof to join her. His lips were pressed together in a thin line, and his brow furrowed. “Is anything wrong?” she asked.

His expression didn’t change when he looked at her. “No, Knight. But I have business to attend to aboard the Prydwen, so I shall accompany you.” 

They stood watching as the vertibird approached, the gusting wind blowing them back slightly as it descended. Nora looked at Danse. He had his fingers pressed to his temple and his eyes clenched shut. “Are you sure you’re ok?” She shouted against the noise. He only nodded, curtly, and then turned his back to her and boarded the craft.

***

When they arrived aboard the airship, Danse hopped down from the vertibird without a word or backward glance. Nora stared after him for a moment. Something was obviously wrong, but he didn’t seem inclined to talk to him about it. She wanted to tell him about Shaun and the Institute too, and get his advice. Maybe she would have a chance to catch up with him later.

She headed inside. She went to Proctor Quinlan’s office to turn in the holotape, then headed to her bunk to put away her things. Then she sat on her bed for a long time, trying to decide what information she wanted to share. After a great deal of thought, she decided she would tell them what she could about the Institute, the scientists and departments, and that her son was gone. As far as she was concerned, that was the truth. Her chance to raise her son, to make a home for them in this new world she had found herself in, had passed. The man running the Institute was not her son. She was concerned that if she told the whole truth, her feelings on the situation would not make a lot of difference to the Brotherhood, and that they might feel she was compromised. And even if Arthur believed her, he would face pressure from the higher up members of his leadership team, and that her relationship with the leader of the Institute might undermine his position.

So she decided to take Deacon’s advice and hold back on that information until she was sure it was a good time to share. With that decision made, she headed towards the command deck.


	20. Calm Before

Arthur lay on his bed, atop the blankets, his hands folded behind his head. He looked relaxed, but his foot tapped on the blanket impatiently. He glanced at the clock. Nearly midnight. He had hoped she would come to his room tonight, but as of yet, she hadn’t appeared. He felt like he’d been waiting for her all day. 

He had been waiting for her on the Command Deck that afternoon, pacing with irritation. He had heard reports that Nora had been seen near Bunker Hill, and then she had vanished for nearly two days until she turned up at the police station. Arthur had been very concerned about her mission into the Institute, about her safety, but when he found out she hadn’t come straight to the Prydwen, he was infuriated. 

When she showed up with Danse, he was even more aggravated, but he calmed somewhat when she reported in without him. Danse had apparently retired directly to his quarters on arrival. As a senior officer, he was entitled to spend his off-duty hours where he wanted, and Arthur was somewhat mollified by his non-presence.

His anger had almost vanished entirely as he had listened to her speak. She had managed to visit the institute and download data from their database as requested as well as to speak with several of the scientists and report back on some of the things she had seen. She had also discovered the fate of her son. He had been removed from the vault for some sort of genetic experiment involving synths, and had unfortunately not survived the procedure. 

Her voice had had a hitch in it when she came to the part about her son, and she had looked away, tears rising in her eyes momentarily, before she blinked them away and stared at a spot somewhere over his shoulder. He had wanted to go to her then, take her in his arms, but he was well aware of the knight standing watch just outside the doorway. And so he had stood, hands clasped behind his back, nails biting into his palms, while she spoke.

***  
By 12:30, she still hadn’t made an appearance, and he was concerned. He got up from his bed, put his pants on, threw his coat on over his t-shirt, and left in search of her. 

She wasn’t in her bunk or the mess hall. He checked the privy and the shower room, somewhat disappointed not to find her there. He was considering going out to the flight deck when he reconsidered and headed up to the forecastle. 

He found her there, at the very end of the narrow walkway, looking out over the dark ruin of Boston. Her hair was whipping in the cold wind, long dark strands twining together and apart, shining under the moonlight. She stood there, at the very top of his world, and everything he had was spread out before her, laid at her feet. His chest swelled with triumph, as he surveyed his domain. 

A half remembered reverie of lush ripeness skirted the edges of his consciousness and he began to grow hard. He decided he would take her right there, with the ruined city spread out below.

He came up behind her. “Nora...I was looking for you.” She started slightly when she heard him suddenly, but relaxed when she realized it was him, her name on his lips exciting and soothing her at the same time. She leaned back into him as he came up behind her and put his arms around her.

“I was just looking out here, thinking how much things have changed.” She’d been pondering the destroyed city skyline. The ruined dream of millions of people lay spread before her. Her own dreams for herself and her infant son had died that day two centuries ago as well. Shaun may not have died that day, but the man he could have been did. 

Maybe if she had woken up sooner, had found him at a younger age, she could have done something to change him into a different man. One who could see the humanity in his creations and maybe the Railroad wouldn’t have been needed. But it was too late for that. 

She turned her face up to look at Arthur. She didn’t know if she could trust him with the truth about Shaun. He too was a great man, a leader of his people. Quick to anger and jealousy, idealistic and rash. He seemed unable to see the nuances, the shades of grey between the black and white of ideology. But he was so, so young. Time and experience would temper his judgement. And maybe someday he would be the kind of man to bring all these sides of the Commonwealth together and begin to rebuild this world.

But not yet. 

She turned back to the view. “There’s so many stars. You should have seen this view back then. I came in one time on a plane, and it was night, and the moon was just the same as it is now. And the plane circled around a whole bunch of times waiting to land. And the whole city was lit up so bright you couldn’t see the stars at all, just the city glow, and the cars moving like little bugs along the roads. The light is different. But the line of the buildings is the same. 

“It’s like the same view, but what’s going on is different.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where they were meant to bang on the forecastle but instead I attempted to experiment with subtext. Ha.
> 
> Let me know how I did. To ham-handed? Too subtle? 
> 
> At any rate, I'm pretty happy with where they find themselves right now. Maybe they will still get to bang next chapter. Well probably. Or cuddle. I don't know. These two are starting to get minds of their own.


	21. One More Tomorrow

A gust of icy wind caught them as Nora and Arthur stood together at the end of the forecastle walkway, causing Nora to shiver in sudden cold. Arthur looked down at her. “You’re freezing.” he stated, before removing his coat and placing it around her shoulders. Nora snuggled into the coat, rubbing the soft wool of the collar against her face and breathing in the familiar heat and scent left by his body.

His arms came around her body and she lifted her face for his kiss. His lips lingered on hers for a moment, before moving to her cheek and then down her neck. She slid her arms down his chest, and then began to inch his shirt up slightly to give her fingers access to the smooth skin of his waist. 

He gasped at her touch. “Your hands are cold.” he said. She smiled. 

“Maybe I can warm them up.” Her fingers went to the button of his pants, and, undoing it, she slipped her hand inside and past the waistband of his underwear. He exhaled harshly at the touch of her icy hand, but did not pull away. It was both shocking and strangely sensual, and he shifted slightly to allow her better access. 

She stroked him gently, and he gradually lengthened and filled as her hand warmed, until he was stiff and straining into her touch. Nora let out a pleased sigh as his hips twitched and he tipped his head back. She took the opportunity to press a soft kiss to the hollow at the base of his throat.

Nora stepped back and pushed her arms through the sleeves of Arthur’s coat, and then she kneeled, tucking the heavy leather corners under her knees to protect them from the metal grating of the walkway. Once situated to her satisfaction, she opened Arthur’s pants the rest of the way and pushed them down past the hard curve of his ass, freeing his erection.

Her fingers wrapped around the thick base of his cock, and she slowly ran her hand up and down his length, enjoying the satiny softness of his skin. She took a deep breath, his familiar, musky smell filling her nose and sending a shimmering liquid heat through her body, and she shuddered a little in anticipation. She watched as a tiny drop formed at his tip, and when her tongue crept out of her mouth to lick it away, he groaned and thrust his fingers into her hair, urging her closer. 

She acquiesced, drawing him into her mouth, and slowly working her tongue around his head before sucking hard and squeezing the base. She repeated this motion, twisting her head from side to side and taking him a little further each time until he was pushing into her mouth in rhythm and his hand tangled in her hair became almost painful. 

His moans of pleasure had gradually escalated into a stream of profanity as he fought to maintain control. He was nearing his breaking point when he forced himself to take her by the shoulders and pull her to her feet. He covered her mouth with his, and ground himself against her belly, pushing at her clothing. He wanted to be inside her so badly at that moment, watching her face as she slid onto his cock. 

She put her hands over his to stop him. “Wait… it’s too cold out here. Let’s go inside.” An icy gust of wind punctuated her words, and he pressed his forehead to hers, willing himself to regain his composure. After a moment, he pulled his pants back up, and they headed back into the Prydwen.

***

They made it to his room in record time, and their mouths were on each other almost before the door closed. Their clothing came off in a desperate flurry of hands, heaping on the floor near the door. But instead of pushing her to the bed, he suddenly lifted her in his arms and carried her there, kissing her gently as he laid her down gently on top of the blankets. 

Nora could only lie there in ecstasy as Arthur began kissing and licking her entire body, pausing at all the places he knew were the most sensitive. He worked his way from her mouth, across her chin and jaw, and lingering at her sensitive ear and neck until she was gasping. From there, he worked his way across her collarbone, and down the crest of her breast. His hands came up to cover her, his thumbs and fingers rolling her nipples until he was rewarded with creamy white droplets. He lapped them up, before taking her breast in his mouth and sucking hard, each pull sending shock waves through her body to her very centre, until without warning she spasmed and clenched, crying out as waves of pleasure crested and subsided. 

She lay there boneless, feeling herself drift into sleep, when he sat up, and taking her foot in his hand began kissing her ankle. She watched him through half lidded, drowsy eyes as he kissed his way up her leg, to her knee, inching his way back up with tiny nips and licks, his beard rasping against the tender skin of her inner thigh.

Her body began to reawaken as he crept inexorably towards her centre. She felt swollen, aching for him, so desperate for his touch that when he finally slid his tongue into her she moaned in relief, her legs falling apart and her back arching to give him better access. He parted her with his fingers and slipped them inside, replacing his tongue, which went to work lazily on her clit, licking and stroking in soft circles as his curled fingers slowly slid in and out, then faster as she cried out and begged, pulling at his hair. 

When she came a second time, he rose up and was inside her almost instantly, filling her with one hard stroke at the apex of her orgasm, and the fullness intensified everything until she completely shattered, white heat blinding her vision, and she matched his rhythm thrust for thrust until he was muttering unintelligible words into her neck and then with one last stroke he cried out and poured the very essence of himself into the nucleus of her soul.


	22. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Nora reach a turning point in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am hereby issuing a GIANT SPOILER ALERT. So please, if you haven't done the Blind Betrayal mission, and have somehow managed to survive months on the internet without it already being spoiled somehow, then please, for the love of god, go play the game before you read this chapter.
> 
> I also said at the start I would post a warning before their relationship went all to hell, so, that's pretty much now. Sorry. It's time to start all the drama and angst I've been hinting at.

Nora managed to creep out of Arthur’s room in the wee morning hours, pulling herself reluctantly from his warm embrace. She quickly dressed herself, then placed her hand on his face, tracing her finger along the scar there, before slipping out the door. 

The Prydwen was quiet at this early hour, nobody was about except the knight on watch. Nora made her way to her own bunk, and lay there a while, dozing only fitfully, until activity around her brought her fully awake again. She dressed herself in her Brotherhood jumpsuit and headed to the mess hall for breakfast, then she turned into Quinlan’s office.

She found him hunched over his terminal, absently stroking his grey cat and taking occasional notes. “Find anything useful?” she asked.

“Actually, yes, Knight. I’ve just finished analyzing their facility and structural data, and have forwarded my report on to Proctor Ingram. I am just about to start on the Synth Retention data. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

“Yes, actually, Proctor. I am between assignments right now, and I was hoping you had something that could occupy me for the day.”

“Ah, yes.” he replied. “Actually I could use your assistance. I have a scribe who needs escort to a nearby ruin, it shouldn’t take you more than a few hours. If you would care to meet her at the airport at 09:00, she can fill you in on the details.”

“Sounds good, Proctor. Good luck with the data.”

***

It was only just after seven, so Nora had a little time to kill before the next flight to the airport. She decided to see if she could find Paladin Danse, as she still wanted to talk with him. She hadn’t seen him since they had arrived back on the Prydwen yesterday. He was always an early riser, so she checked the mess hall first before heading into the power armour bay. His familiar armour was hanging in its slot, but Danse was nowhere to be seen. She asked a nearby crew member if he’d seen Danse, but the man just shrugged.

She asked at the mess as well, but he hadn’t been seen there this morning either. She started to worry if he was perhaps ill, so she went to the officer’s quarters and rapped on his door. There was no answer on the first knock, so she tried again. “Paladin Danse?” Still no answer. She frowned, then shrugged. Maybe he was in the bathroom or something. 

A squire approached her. “Ma’am, the vertibird to the airport is ready if you would like to go.” Nora nodded. She would have to catch up with the Paladin later. 

***  
Nora arrived at the airport and was headed to the rendezvous spot to meet the scribe, when she spotted Proctor Ingram. She greeted her with a wave. “Ah, Knight. Good to see you. I’ve received the data you retrieved from Proctor Quinlan. It’s going to be very useful. Would you like to come see what we have been working on?”

Nora followed Ingram out the airport door and then halted in surprise. The piles of junk that had been sitting here had been assembled into a massive robot. It was three stories tall, shining, and deadly looking. 

Ingram beamed in pride. “All the scrap you collected that didn’t go into the relay went into this. This bad boy should be ready to go sometime next week and thanks to the intel you provided, we know right where we need to hit them. We couldn’t have done this without you.”

Nora tried to keep her dismay from showing on her face. Somehow she had thought the Brotherhood was going to come to some kind of peace, some kind of agreement with the Institute. She thought they would be protecting the people of the Commonwealth, not blowing them up. As disturbing as she found the Institute, there was a whole community of people underground, men, women, children and synths, who deserved a chance rather than be blown to bits.

Nora managed to extricate herself from Ingram, mentioning her escort duty, and then headed towards the rendezvous point. Her mind raced. She realized she should have seen it coming. She’d heard the Brotherhood and their talk of abominations and cleansing, but chose to ignore it. She thought back to her very first night aboard the Prydwen, listening to Arthur’s address. He’d called the Institute a cancer. She’d had her misgivings then but brushed them off in her haste to find her son, find a place to belong. She’d even allowed her relationship with Arthur to cloud her judgement, realizing now that she had ignored so many things that should have bothered her, just so she could maintain whatever it was they had between them.

She had to talk to him. Maybe she could convince him to hold off, to at least try for a peaceful solution before raining destruction down on a whole community. At least this escort mission wouldn’t take too long, and she would be back this evening. She would be able to speak with him then. 

***

Nora arrived back on board the Prydwen just as the sun was setting. As soon as she set foot off of the vertibird, a squire, who looked like he’d been waiting there for her, came running up. “Elder Maxson wants you to report into him immediately. He told me to tell you to come right now, as soon as you arrive. He’s waiting for you on the Command Deck.”

She followed the squire to where Arthur was waiting. Maybe now would be a good time to discuss the Brotherhood’s plans for the Institute. “Elder,” she began.

He turned to face her. She was familiar enough with him by now to realize he was angry. Infuriated, in fact. “Is there anything you wish to tell me, _Knight_ ”

Nora bristled at his tone. What was he accusing her of? 

“I’m confused, _sir._ I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about.” Two could play at that game. 

“I find your ignorance awfully convenient. Proctor Quinlan completed the encryption of the data you retrieved from the Institute. A portion of his findings included a list of synths that went missing or escaped from their underground facility. After careful analysis of the information, we’ve discovered something unprecedented. Paladin Danse is a perfect match for one of the synths on that list.”

Nora gasped in shock. He had to be lying, making this up for some reason. “That’s impossible!”

“I’m afraid not. The evidence is quite damning. The data you brought back includes a record of each synth’s DNA. We keep the same information on file for all of our soldiers. Paladin Danse’s DNA is a perfect match for a synth they call M7-97, and the photo record confirms it. To make matters worse, he’s gone AWOL. Disappeared without a trace. His sudden absence simply reinforces our conclusion. That M7-97 and Paladin Danse are one and the same. I’m finding it difficult to believe that he never confided in you and then swore you to secrecy.”

Nora was more appalled with every word that came out of his mouth. Was he accusing her of covering this up? She stepped forward. “After everything…” She gestured towards him, and up towards the officer’s quarters. Her voice lowered. “Everything we’ve been through…You have some nerve accusing me of lying,” she spat at him, venomously.

“How dare you speak to me in that tone of voice! I’m growing tired of your lies.”

“He _never_ told me he was a synth.” Every word poison. 

Arthur straightened his back as though bolstering himself for attack. “Danse _is_ a synth. He represents everything we hate… a monstrosity of technology. Our mission in the Commonwealth is clear. The Institute and its creations need to be destroyed in order to preserve our future. Which leaves me facing the most difficult order I’ve ever given. I’m ordering you to hunt down Danse and execute him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long to get up.... I really wanted them to stay happy together. But it's really impossible. I went back and replayed the mission last night, trying to choose Nora's answers instead of mine, and making notes. It was really weird as the whole time I was picturing this whole history that I didn't really imagine on my other playthroughs, and I started reading into their words and tone a bunch. 
> 
> I've been avoiding going into quest details for the most part, but this is such a big one, it was impossible to avoid. I will be cutting most of the later quests and taking some artistic license with others, so I won't be issuing any further spoiler alerts.


	23. From the Cavern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.”  
> ― William Blake

“I need to be the example. Not the exception.”

“Fuck that. I won’t do it, Danse.”

They stared each other down. 

“Synths can’t be trusted. Machines were never meant to make their own decisions. They need to be controlled.”

Nora sensed a weakness in his conviction. “If you really feel that way, why did you run?”

“Once I got the note, self preservation kicked in. I needed to regroup and assess the situation, Once I got here, and I had some time to think, I realized i’d just made everything worse.” Danse sighed, and turned his back to her. He sat down and put his face in his hands. “It just feels like a cruel joke. I remember being a child, I remember... everything. I suppose they programmed that all into my head. I mean, I feel like I’ve been in control of my entire life, making my own decisions and determining my own fate. Even though the proof states I’m a synth, i don’t feel any different than I did before. I still feel like a human.”

Nora squatted down in front of Danse and tried to look him in the eye. “You’re human to me, Danse. And since I’ve known you, everything you’ve done has been for the benefit of mankind. Not it’s downfall. How is dying going to help anyone?” He looked at her, and she saw a glimmer of hope. 

“I don’t even know if those things I’ve done were real or just false memories.”

Nora shook her head. “I talked to Quinlan. I saw the record myself. You’re on a list of missing synths, not spies or plants. And you’ve been missing a long time. Well over a decade. I think you can be reasonably certain that a lot of your memories are actually your own. You have a lot of accomplishments under your belt. The world is a better place because of you, Danse.”

Danse hesitated. “Maybe I can be the exception. If what you say is true… maybe I do have some value.

Nora let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll take your holotags back to the Prydwen and tell them I’ve carried out my orders, and I’ll come back and we can figure this out. You don’t have to do this alone. When I get back...what’s that sound?”

Danse stood, his demeanor once again that of a soldier. “It’s a vertibird. We’d better go look.”

***

It hadn’t been hard to have her followed. He’d been doing it on and off for weeks, different knights and scribes assigned to tail her as she had worked to gather material. He knew about her companions, there were several as far as he could tell, a sniper kid, a dark haired one, and a bald one at least. Reports differed. And he knew they holed up in the Old North Church from time to time, as they were frequently seen in that vicinity. 

So tracking her to Listening Post Bravo hadn’t been difficult or unusual. 

Arthur wasn’t exactly sure why he had decided to test her with the mission to execute Danse… _the synth,_ he corrected himself mentally. Danse had been a mentor to Arthur in his younger days, and he had considered them to be friends. Inasmuch as Arthur had any friends at all.

But he had been right not to trust the synth. Arthur burned at the betrayal. Danse was just like everyone else he’d ever trusted. He had trusted Sarah, and she’d died. He had trusted his mother, and she had abandoned him to the Brotherhood. Arthur shied away from that thought. It cut worse than the deathclaw that had opened his face. 

He wanted to trust Nora, but first, he had to test her. The vertibird landed, and he stepped out.

***

He knew he was right the moment _it_ stepped out of the bunker, Nora at its back. Arthur fought to maintain his composure. To keep from ripping them both to bits with his bare hands. “How DARE you betray the Brotherhood?” he said to her.

Danse stepped forward. “It’s not her fault. it’s mine.”

“I’ll deal with you in a moment. Knight. Why has this...this thing not been destroyed?”

Nora stepped forward, between the two men. “Your orders are ridiculous.”

“How dare you! Danse isn’t a man. It’s a machine… an automaton created by the institute. it wasn’t born from the womb of a loving mother. It was grown within the cold confines of a laboratory. Flesh is flesh. Machine is machine. The two were never meant to _intertwine._

Nora gasped. _That’s what this is about._ “After everything we’ve been through, you need to listen to me. You owe me that much.”

“Very well. I’m listening,” Arthur gritted out, rage coiling in his belly. 

Nora played the only card she had. “If Danse dies, then you lose me as well. I can’t stay in good conscience if his life means that little to you.” She heard a strangled noise from Danse behind her, but her eyes were focused on Arthur. 

Nobody moved or spoke for a long minute. 

Nora watched him. Waiting. Hoping that he’d show some sign she’d gotten through to him. Hoping he wouldn’t call her bluff. She saw the moment he caved, and closed her eyes in relief. 

“So. It appears we’ve arrived at an impasse.” Arthur finally said. “Danse. As far as i'm concerned, you're dead. You were pursued and slain by this Knight, and your remains were incinerated. From this day forward, you are forbidden to set foot on the Prydwen or speak to anyone from the Brotherhood of Steel. Should you choose to ignore me, know that you’ll be fired upon immediately. Do we understand each other?”

Nora looked at Danse as he choked out a reply. “I do. Thank you for-”

Arthur cut him off. “Don’t mistake my mercy for acceptance. The only reason you’re still alive is because of her. I’m returning to the Prydwen, Knight. You will accompany me.” Without waiting, he turned and stalked towards the vertibird. 

Nora turned to Danse. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.” Danse just looked at her, pain evident in every pore of his face. Without a word, he turned and walked back into the bunker. She waited a moment until she heard the elevator inside rumble, then turned and joined Arthur on the waiting vertibird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and shamelessly self promote. If you want to know my headcanon on how come Danse has been missing from the institute so long, please check out my story "M7-97". It's not too long and it's complete. Let me know if you like it, and also let me know how I'm doing here, as always, comments give me life!!


	24. Evanescence

Neither of them looked at or spoke to the other on the trip back to the Prydwen. But as the vertibird finished docking procedures and Nora tried to brush past Arthur to disembark, he grabbed her by the arm. “Before we continue, I want to make one thing clear. This conversation will be the last time we speak about Danse. As far as the Brotherhood is concerned, he’s dead. Do you understand?”

Nora didn’t respond. She tried to yank her arm away but his grip was strong. “Do you understand, Nora?” 

She looked him in the eye. “I understand perfectly, _Elder Maxson_

“Good. Report to the Command Deck for debriefing.” He let go of her arm and climbed out of the vertibird before turning and holding his hand out to her. She ignored it and jumped down, then walked up the stairs and inside. 

Proctor Quinlan was sitting with a scribe on the lounger in the Command Deck when they arrived. “Sir, I’ve been waiting for you.” He began, rising. 

Arthur held up a hand. “Not just now, Proctor.” He turned to Nora. 

“Reporting as ordered, _Elder.”_

The scribe gasped at her tone. 

“Excellent. Danse’s execution creates a missing link in our chain of command. That traitor held quite an important position with us. I’m certain that you’ll make a fine replacement. His quarters and all his possessions are now yours. Including his personal suit of power armour. Congratulations, Paladin.” 

“Paladin? _Paladin?_ Are you serious? The _body’s_ not even cold and you’re already dividing the loot?”

“To the victor go the spoils. I’m the victor. I trust you won’t disappoint me. I’ll send for you if I need you. Dismissed, Paladin” 

“What the hell!” Nora shouted.

Arthur interrupted her before she could say anything else.

“DISMISSED!”

***

She had nowhere else to go, so she headed to her new quarters, rubbing the bridge of her nose in exhaustion. Danse’s room was right next to Arthur’s. As lead of field operations, he was - had been - third in command aboard the Prydwen, after Captain Kells and Maxson himself. Was she now supposed to take on Danse’s duties as well as his rank? Nora scoffed to herself. She was in no way qualified for that position. 

Nora entered the room and looked around, leaving the door open. There were very few personal effects. Either he’d taken everything with him when he escaped, or else he didn’t have much to begin with. There were a surprising number of liquor bottles scattered around, though. 

Nora had no fucking clue what to do next. It had become increasingly clear that the Brotherhood’s ideals and goals were anathema to her. She had to acknowledge to herself that she would have left weeks ago had it not been for Arthur. 

Nora picked up a bottle of moonshine, considered it tiredly for a moment, then opened it up and took a swig. The liquid burned its way down to her belly. She sat down on the bed and swirled the bottle around, watching the booze swirl up the sides. Arthur. 

Aside from her son, he’d been the main focus of her attention these last few months. But she had to admit it wasn’t a healthy relationship. They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, sure. But they also couldn’t carry on a conversation without it ending with one of them storming off… or in bed. 

Nora took another swig of the moonshine, and laid back on the bed. Maybe it was time to acknowledge to herself that this entire situation, Arthur, the Brotherhood, everything, had been a terrible mistake. And for once in her life she needed to act like an adult and do the right thing. As soon as she had the opportunity, she was going to leave the Brotherhood for good. She’d go to the Railroad. She certainly fit in better there. And the Railroad would be able to help Danse whether he decided to settle somewhere here or leave the Commonwealth entirely. 

Her eyes drifted shut, and the bottle slipped from her fingers. The doubts and concerns she’d been having, were, at least for now, appeased. Her mind relaxed. Her last thought before falling asleep was a sense of relief.

***

Arthur approached his room a few hours later. He halted before entering, having noticed the door to Danse’s...no- Nora’s quarters was open. He walked over and pushed the door open the rest of the way. She was laying on the bed, curled in a ball, asleep. He regarded her for a long moment. 

She was angry. He knew that. But she’d been angry before, and she’d always come back to him. And, as angry as she was, she had come back with him to the Prydwen. That had to mean something. He strode over to the bed. Her hair was loose on the pillow, shining chestnut waves. He reached his hand out and touched it, running its silky softness through his fingers. 

She was going to need some time. But he knew she’d come around and soon they could decide on what kind of future they would have together. But for now, he knew he didn’t want to spend another night without her. He looked around the room. But not here. He bent down and picked her up. She curled into his chest and muttered something in her sleep. Her breath smelled a little of moonshine. He carried her to his own room. Where she belonged. Kicking closed the door, he brought her to his bed, where he eased her boots and pants off and covered her with his blanket, before removing his own clothing, sliding in beside her and almost immediately falling asleep.

***

Nora snuggled deeper into Arthur’s chest, the familiar feel of him not immediately setting off any alarms in her mind. Her feet were tangled with his, and she stretched a little, luxuriantly, enjoying the roughness of the hair on his legs. His heavy arm was across her waist, and she considered sliding it up onto her breast, to ease the tingle that was starting there, matching the quickening in her belly.

Her eyes fluttering open to catch a glimpse of his face asleep. The sight brought her more fully awake, and she frowned, suddenly remembering the previous day. She looked around. This wasn’t even where she had fallen asleep. Had he just brought her here?

She clenched her eyes shut. She had to leave. This couldn’t keep happening. She had to leave tonight. For good. But god. She wanted him. She pressed her lips against his chest and breathed in his warm scent. Maybe, just one last time, before she left…

She ran her hand slowly over his body, trying not to wake him yet. His chest was lightly hairy, a V that trailed off below his navel. His waist and back were smooth and firm, and she ran her hand down the small of his back to where his ass began to curve, stopping at the edge of his underwear. She trailed her finger gently around his waistband, avoiding the sensitive spot by his hips that always made him twitch, then back up his chest and down his bicep, trying to memorize every inch of him. 

She felt him tense slightly under her touch, and she knew he was coming awake. She pressed her mouth to the pulse in his neck and felt it quicken, so she slid her leg up around his hip and her hand back down and into his briefs, gently taking hold of him as he began to harden and giving him a gentle, stroking squeeze. 

Arthur slowly came awake from a delicious dream to find Nora’s hand wrapped around his stiffening cock, slowly stroking him to life. Only half awake, he brought his hand to her hip and then up under her shirt, pushing her bra out of the way and grasping her soft breast gently. He moved his head back, giving her better access to his throat, and they stayed like that for a long time, gently stroking each other, until her whispering sighs became soft moans.

His hand slipped down into her panties, finding the soft damp folds there. He tried to kiss her, but she turned her face away, burying it in his neck and nipping at him a little. She was arching up into his hand now, and she softly begged, “Please…” so he pulled off her underwear and then his own, before settling between her thighs. He tried to kiss her again, but again she turned her face away, so he licked at her ear instead as he gently nudged at her entrance. 

Every nerve in her body was afire as he slowly filled her, stretching her, his hips pressing her legs apart, his weight bearing her down into the mattress, his mouth at her throat, and she stroked his back and his neck, trying to engrave in her mind the feeling of his muscles bunching and flexing as he undulated above her slowly, her face turned away so he couldn’t see the tears running down her face. 

She held on as long as she could, trying to make the moment last, but eventually she came with a soft cry, wrapping her legs and arms around him tightly, every muscle in her body clenched, and he wasn’t far behind her, his groan of pleasure echoing hers. 

***

They lay together for a long time as their breathing slowed, Nora running her fingers up and down Arthur’s spine, slick with a thin sheen of sweat. After a time, he slid reluctantly from her body, rolling to the side, pulling her back up to his chest and wrapping his arm around her waist. His nose was at the nape of her neck, and a low grumble came from his chest that sounded almost like a purr. 

She lay awake, wrapped in his arms, and fought the temptation to stay like this forever. But eventually his breathing evened out and she knew he was asleep again. As gently as she could, she slid out of his embrace. She found her clothing in the dark, and quickly and silently dressed herself. She took one last look at him, tears in her eyes, before whispering, “Goodbye, Arthur,” and creeping quietly from the room.


	25. The Friends are the Trustiest

Nora knew she had to escape tonight. If she didn’t do it now, she didn’t think she would ever have the strength again. She returned to “her” room, gathered anything she’d left there, then headed to her original bunk. Her pack was in the footlocker, so she collected her few personal items, the laser rifle Danse had given her, and anything else she needed, then headed to the power armour bay. 

She looked at Danse’s Paladin power armour for a few minutes, debating if she should take it. It was better maintained and much better quality than her own. But ultimately she decided against it because it had not been calibrated to her and she was likely to injure herself. Reluctantly, she stepped into her own, rarely used power armour. 

She almost regretted it when she began the trek towards the exit, the machinery hissing and thumping with every step, the sound seeming to echo through the whole airship. But there was no other way down, so she turned and headed up the back steps towards the forecastle. This way she could avoid the sleeping quarters.

She made it outside. She strode to the end of the walkway, and took one last, long look around, before taking a deep, shuddering breath. And then she jumped. 

It was no less terrifying than the last time, but she managed not to scream. Her lip was bloody where she had bitten it on the way down, but she was otherwise uninjured. She started walking directly south.

After about a kilometre, she stopped. Exiting the power armour, she removed the valuable power core. She then turned and headed back north. 

***

It was close to noon when Nora arrived at Listening Post Bravo, and an ominous cloud was forming to the south west. She approached cautiously, as Danse had previously set up some defenses and she expected they would be active again now. However, nothing prevented her from going inside and heading down the elevator. She frowned in concern, as there was no resistance below, either. Her stomach dropped in dismay at the silence that greeted her, as she looked around the main room. She called out, “Danse?” but there was no reply.

She went around the ruined wall into the side room, her heart pounding in dread, trying to brace herself for what she might find. She cried out when she saw Danse slumped over the table, and she ran over to him, grabbing his shoulders, and crying out, “Oh no!” 

He lifted his head and glared at her. All she could do was cry out “Oh thank god you’re ok” as she hugged him. But he just pushed her aside and stood up, a little unsteadily. It was then she noticed he’d been drinking. A lot. There were at least three empty bottles on the table where he’d been sitting. And the smell of alcohol was overwhelming. 

“What do you want?” he bit out. 

Nora was taken aback at his hostility. “I...I said I’d come back…What’s all this?” she asked, indicating all the booze. “I’ve never seen you drinking…” 

“You’ve never seen me drinking on duty. I’m not on duty. Thanks. So get out.”

“Why are you so angry with me?”

Danse turned his back to her and took a drink.

“Please. Danse. I’m your friend.”

He turned back to her, his height over her making her take a step back. “Friends? Do you even know what friends are? I spent years with Maxson, since he was a child, I had his back. I helped train him, fought with him. I’ve been loyal, to him, the Brotherhood. Then you come along and suddenly he’s lost all faith in me. I could have convinced him to let me live, to trust me.”

“I don’t think that’s what would have happened, Danse.”

“Yeah, because you’ve been here, what, a few months? I’ve known him for years.”

Nora shook her head at him. “Maybe you’ve been in the Brotherhood too long. Haven’t you been listening? Everything he says, everything _you_ say, about synths, ghouls, whatever. He wouldn’t have spared you. Can’t you see, loyalty means nothing if the Brotherhood thinks you’re an ‘abomination’”. 

She could see each word hit him like a blow, his eyes shutting, as he tried to block out her words. She put her hand on his arm. “He wouldn’t have spared you.”

Danse sat back in his chair again, his bottle dangling between his knees. “It’s not true.”

“It is. It is, Danse. I had to face that myself. That’s why….that’s why I’ve decided to leave the Brotherhood. I can’t in good conscience stay and help uphold a system I fundamentally disagree with.”

“You left. You just went AWOL, and walked away, from everything?”

“Yes. I had to do the right thing.”

Danse’s face reddened in fury. “Does loyalty, does the word _Brotherhood_ mean nothing to you at all? After everything, you’re just going to turn your back on them?”

“You’re not making any sense. They turned their back on you.”

“They’re my brothers. I don’t know. Arthur was my brother. It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t KNOW.” He looked up at her. “The only thing that matters is loyalty. The only thing. And without that, everything else falls apart. How can anyone trust you when you can’t even keep your word to the Brotherhood. To Arthur. You told him that you’d leave if I died and you can’t even keep that promise.”

“I hadn’t thought things through…”

He scoffed. “Right. You didn’t think things through. You never think things through. You just go around doing whatever feels good at the time. I’m not a fucking idiot, Nora. I know that the only reason I’m alive right now is because you’ve been fucking Arthur Maxson.”

Nora sucked in a breath. “Danse…”

He cut her off. “Get out of here. I don’t want to see you again. Ever.”

She stood there for a minute. Finally, she whispered. “Ok. I’m leaving. I’m going to go to the Railroad. If you need anything. Just go to the Old North Church. You don’t have to talk to me but you can talk to Deacon and he’ll help you.” She turned to leave.

“Good luck with the Railroad, Nora. I’m sure you’ll betray them as soon as you get the chance too.” he called out as she got on the elevator. 

***

Nora was crying when she opened the door, and she walked several feet before a crack of lightning drew her attention to the rad storm that was brewing. She briefly considered going back into the bunker, but quickly realized that wasn’t an option. There was no other shelter nearby, either. But she had the relay, she remembered. So with some trepidation, she pulled up the map on her Pip-boy, and selected the Old North Church.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene has been in my head since I began. I hope I did it justice. 
> 
> I hope I didn't hurt him too much, Katlen! (can't figure out how to tag people in this so I hope you see it.)


	26. Flint and Steel

It took Arthur almost until noon to figure out that Nora was missing. She’d been gone when he awoke, but that wasn’t unusual. He looked for her in the mess, but was not concerned when she wasn’t there. Her power armour was gone as well, so he assumed she had gone on some assignment. By ten, he had a few moments, so he made the rounds to Kells and the proctors, curious about which one had sent her on assignment. None of them had any knowledge of her whereabouts. 

He was beginning to grow concerned at that point, so he radioed down to Ingram at the airport. When she also advised him that she had no information about Paladin Sullivan, he grew alarmed. He rounded up a recon squad to search the area. It wasn’t long before they found her power armour abandoned about a kilometer south of the Prydwen.

The shore began not much further south than that, so he knew immediately it was a false trail. She knew they would follow her, so she was trying to lead them away. She was trying to _escape. She was fucking trying to escape._

“Fucking FUCK!!!” Arthur shouted, picking up the small table in the corner of the Command Deck and flinging it at the bulkhead. Pieces of wood smashed all over the floor. The scribe who was reporting to him jumped back in alarm. The Elder never lost control. “Get me Kells!” he demanded. The scribe nodded and ran off.

Kells reported in a moment later. “I want you to get a recon team together. You’re going to need at least eight men in power armour.” He didn’t know what kind of defenses the synth had set up, but he was familiar with its battle prowess as well as being aware that Nora had killed an Institute courser. He wasn’t taking any chances. “Spool up a vertibird and send them to Listening Post Bravo. I think she’s gone there. Bring Paladin Sullivan back here alive. Kill anyone else you find.” 

“Yes sir,” replied Kells. 

“And Kells. Have them do a few sweeps around the Old North Church on the way. She’s been known to frequent that area as well.”

Kells eyed the dark clouds on the horizon with trepidation, but did not voice his concerns. He simply saluted and left to carry out his orders. 

***

The storm was in full tilt when a white flash of lightning deposited Nora about a block away from the Old North Church. The metallic sound of thunder covered the thumping of the vertibird that spotted her as she jogged down the street and into the old building. 

***

Deacon was at the door with two heavies when she arrived. He could clearly see she was upset. He sent one of them to get Glory to cover for him, and then when she arrived, he walked into the HQ with Nora. 

“What happened?” he asked. Nora smiled up at Deacon through her tears. “I guess the fairy princess decided to go live with the dwarves after all.” 

***  
Deacon stood leaning on the counter, listening while Nora recounted to Desdemona about how Danse had turned out to be a synth, and Maxson had sent her to execute him. “I couldn’t do it. He’s my friend. Whether he believes it or not.” Deacon’s eyes met Dez’s. 

There was no time to respond to this information, however, as just then, the sound of Glory’s minigun came echoing down to the chamber. 

***

When it was all over, the tunnels under the Old North Church were filled with the bodies of eight armoured Brotherhood members, four Railroad members that Nora didn’t know, and Glory. Glory who’d managed to cut down five Brotherhood herself, even as the laser blasts burned through her body. 

Nora stared at the laser rifle she held in her hands. It was still warm from the shots she had fired on the Brotherhood. Danse had carefully painted the words “Righteous Authority” on the side some time before giving it to her. 

She looked at Glory’s charred corpse. Danse was right. She had betrayed the Railroad just as she had betrayed the Brotherhood. 

***

Deacon took Nora by the shoulders. He removed his sunglasses then took her face in his hands and forced her to meet his eyes. “It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.” he repeated. She pressed her face to his chest and cried. 

***

Desdemona gathered the survivors of the Brotherhood attack together. “The Brotherhood knows we’re here, and they’re hostile. There’s no time to waste. They are going to be back, and we may not be able to hold them off next time. Tom has a plan. Tom?”

Tom stepped forward. “We’re going to take the vertibird they just parked outside our front door, fly it up to that metal monstrosity, and blow it out of the sky.”


	27. Fire in the Sky

_It’s not my fault._

That’s what Deacon told her. But she didn’t believe it. She believed in the Railroad, believed in the cause. But she’d led the Brotherhood straight to the Railroad. It was her fault Glory was dead. She felt like a fraud. 

_The only thing that matters is loyalty. The only thing. And without that, everything else falls apart._ Danse’s words echoed in her head. _I’m sure you’ll betray them as soon as you get the chance._ And she had. Not an hour later.

The only thing she could do tonight was to make it up to them and do everything she could to prove her loyalty.

Her stomach dropped with a sickening jolt as the vertibird sank several feet suddenly, twisted to the side, then righted itself, bringing her mind back to the present moment. Tom was not a good pilot, especially dressed in looted Brotherhood power armour. They would be at the Prydwen in less than five minutes. 

Deacon and Nora were dressed in muffled leather armour, and they each carried a stealth boy. The plan was to sneak aboard the airship and plant several bombs on the hydrogen cells. Nora was there due to her familiarity with the ship. Tom was to remain disguised in the power armour so he could escape if necessary. 

Nora cringed at the scraping noise as Tom attempted to dock with the Prydwen, but he managed to get it in place without too much maneuvering. Deacon nodded and then vanished with a press of the button on his stealth boy. Nora followed suit. She led the way up the gangway and into the hallway outside the Command Deck. She carefully avoided looking that way, and led Deacon silently up the ladder to the main area. 

They avoided the officer’s quarters, the bathrooms and the shower room. She winced as they stopped near the hallway that led to the forecastle. She waited there, staring at the door, while Deacon silently and invisibly made his way down the length of the airship, planting the remotely controlled explosives strategically along the way. 

They were making their way back the way they came when it all went wrong. Nora’s stealth boy let out a loud _fissss...POP_ and started smoking and cracking. She realised immediately that she was no longer invisible. And so did the knight who was looking right in her direction when it happened. 

Deacon was on her immediate left, and he whispered to her, “You make a run for it. I’ll distract them, and once you’re away, I’ll hide and sneak out. You get to the Vertibird!”

Nora nodded and without hesitation, made for the ladder at a dead run, her silenced 10mm drawn. Deacon shot at the armoured knight, his bullet pinging off his armour uselessly, and began banging on the railings as he ran in the opposite direction. 

Nora managed to lose the knight, who was now after Deacon, and made it almost to the ladder. She saw the knight that guarded the Command Deck come up the ladder, drawn by the gunshots and shouts that were now echoing throughout the ship, and she hung back in the shadows until he passed. When he was out of sight, she headed down the ladder, and jumped, landing on the floor facing the Command Deck. 

She couldn’t avoid looking. She couldn’t avoid seeing him there, in his own space, pacing angrily. And when she landed with a ringing thud on the metal deck, his head whipped around and his gaze landed on hers. 

He started towards her, but was stopped when she pulled her pistol and leveled it at his head. 

***

Arthur’s first reaction was joy at the sight of her, followed by disbelief at the scene before him. 

He had been expecting her, but not like this. He expected his recon team to drag her back from the listening post, not for her to appear there in front of him with a gun aimed at his head while shots rang out above. Things never went like he planned with her. Never. 

He slowly raised his hands above his head, but he was a trained soldier. He was also evaluating the situation and reviewing his options. He knew he was stronger and faster, and he might be able to disarm her. But he didn’t know what her frame of mind was, and how likely she was to pull the trigger if he moved. 

“Nora…” he began.

She lifted the gun higher, and blinked, and as he watched, a tear rolled down her cheek, followed by another. 

“People are dead because of you, Arthur. Good people. Because of you and because of me.”

Arthur took a step towards her. 

“DON’T MOVE!” she shouted, crying in earnest now. 

“You ran away. I went after you. I keep what is mine.” 

“I wasn’t yours, Arthur! I was with you because I wanted to be. But you hold on too tight. You crush everything. You come to the Commonwealth to grab and take and you don’t understand anything. This could have been more. But it’s too late.”

Arthur didn’t understand what she was saying. When you want something, you take it. He took another step towards her, but was stopped suddenly by the bloom of pain in his chest. _My heart must be breaking,_ he thought, holding his hand to his heart. He pulled his hand away and looked at the blood on his fingers with no sense of comprehension as he slumped to his knees.

***

Deacon was still in stealth when he hopped down the ladder silently. He was facing the exit, but the quiet pop of the silenced pistol drew his attention and he watched, unseen, as Maxson fell to the ground, blood spurting from the hole in his chest. 

Nora’s gun clattered to the floor as she raced to where Maxson lay, a sob bursting from her throat as she fell to her knees beside him. She took his face in her hands and kissed him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Don’t die. Please, I’m sorry.” She pressed her hands to the wound, but it was too late. 

Maxson’s bloody hand came up to her face, and Deacon could just barely make out his words. “....loved you...I just wanted…”

Nora kissed him, “I loved you, too. I’m sorry.”

Maxson’s hand slid from her face, leaving a bloody trail behind. “Nora…” Deacon could barely hear him gasping now, as blood began to bubble in his mouth. “Moth…”

Deacon felt sick, he shouldn’t have been here for this. He wanted to panic, and leave, this wasn’t for him to see. The sound of approaching steps above brought him back to his senses a bit, and he ran over and grabbed Nora by the arm. “We have to go.”

Nora didn’t respond to him, so he began to drag her to the exit. “He’s gone, Nora! We have to go. Tom is waiting, he needs you, I need you too. Come on!”

She came reluctantly to her feet, and let him lead her outside and onto the waiting vertibird. 

***

Nora followed Deacon, because Tom needed her. And Deacon needed her. Her friends needed her. She gritted her teeth. She wasn’t going to betray them too. He pulled her into the vertibird as it took off, just as an armoured knight burst out after them, firing laser blasts. They were almost out of range when a blast hit the right engine rotor, and the ‘bird began swinging around wildly, Tom not being skilled enough to maneuver it with that damage.

They landed hard in the shallow water across from the airport.”It’s still salvageable, but I can’t fly it without repairs. We’re going to have to come back for it another time” shouted Tom as they jumped out into the water. “I got the detonator, though. It’s right here,” he added, waving the device around. 

They waded to shore, and Nora sat on the wet sand, her legs numb from the icy, irradiated water, and her chest numb from grief. “Hey, you wanna do the honours?” Tom asked Nora, but Deacon just shook his head at him in warning. Tom shrugged, then said, “Here goes!”

She looked up as the Prydwen exploded in a fiery inferno that lit up the whole night sky. A wave of heat nearly knocked her down, but she righted herself just in time to see several secondary explosions blow out parts from the side and top. It began to list to starboard as it lost buoyancy, keeling over in slow motion as it sank down, front first into the airport below. The crash sent a huge billowing plume of fire into the sky, lighting everything up as bright as day. 

The fire sent hot wind blowing across the water, blowing Nora’s hair around wildly. She finally covered her face in her hands and turned away from the blinding inferno. Deacon came to her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. “I know.” he whispered. “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments to this point. I love you all for staying with me. I'm sorry, this had to happen. 
> 
> There is still probably two chapters to go. Nora's story isn't quite done yet.


	28. Second Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is here. I was going to split it into two chapters, but it would have been one long one and one short one, and so I just mashed them together into one really long one. 
> 
> I also played really really fast and loose with the game ending. I really just took the parts I liked for my own purposes.

The vertibird had unfortunately landed east of the airport, near Nordhagen Beach. It was going to take at least a full day to walk back to Railroad Headquarters. The plan had been to get into the airship and get out again, so the trio were very ill-prepared for that trek. Between the three of them, they had one suit of power armour, Deacon’s 10mm pistol, and one extra clip of ammo.

Deacon suggested they head to the settlement at Nordhagen Beach, and see if they could trade for any supplies. They decided to leave the power armour behind, but they brought the fusion core for trading.

The fusion core was worth several hundred caps at least, so the settlers were happy to supply them with shelter for the night and some food to get them on the way in the morning, but unfortunately they had no weapons or ammo to spare. Come morning, the three set out, moving along the shore as quietly and inobtrusively as possible. 

They were near the oddly positioned wreck of the USS Constitution, perched atop a bank, when Deacon saw the first two gen 1 synths. He managed to creep around behind them and take them out with his silenced pistol before they knew he was there. It turned out to be a bit of good fortune, as both synths were armed with laser pistols and a good amount of ammunition, meaning that all three of them were now armed.

The weapons came in very handy the further they travelled, as they began to run into more and more gen 1 and 2 synths the closer they got to HQ.

Deacon stopped them. “Does it bother either of you that there are so many synths hanging around this neighborhood?” 

Tom replied, “Maybe that crazy obvious fight with the Brotherhood yesterday tipped them off?”

Nora whispered, “Or maybe I teleported too close.”

Deacon paled a little. “It might be both. Listen, we better hurry, HQ might need our help.”

***

They snuck into HQ the back way. Desdemona was waiting for them. She was visibly relieved to see them. “I knew you succeeded, it’s all over the radio. Travis won’t shut up about it. But I wasn’t sure any of you made it. I’m glad you’re here.”

“Did you know the area is crawling with synths?” Deacon asked.

“Yeah, we figure they may have located us because of yesterday’s altercation. It won’t be long until they are in here. I know you just got back, but we have a plan. We need to send Nora back into the Institute.”

***

The plan was ambitious. They were going to teleport Nora into the Institute. She was to make her way to the main relay, where she would use a holotape program to transport Tom inside. He would then run a program he had written which would lock all systems to his control and he would teleport as many Railroad agents inside as he could.

The agents would divide into two teams. The demolition team would make their way to the main reactor, initiate meltdown, and destroy the whole place. Meanwhile, an evac team would take this opportunity to evacuate as many people and synths as they could. With their labs and facilities destroyed and their synths scattered to the wind, the Institute would no longer be a force to be feared in the Commonwealth, and synths would no longer be subject to tyranny.

Nora agreed with the plan immediately. This was the chance she needed to prove she could be loyal.

The mission would start at dawn, so Desdemona told Deacon and Nora to get some rest before the time came. Nora headed to a bed in the corner and sat down, Deacon following behind. 

They sat in silence for a while. Then Deacon started talking. He talked about how he’d run with a gang of thugs as a kid, who’d ramped up from property damage to assault and finally murder on people they thought were synths. Then he’d turned his back on them, and eventually married. The woman had turned out to be a synth, and when she was killed by his former gang, he’d gone mad and killed them all.

“I’m a fraud. To my core. I don’t deserve to be here. The only thing I can do is to do everything I can every day to make up for it.”

Nora didn’t say anything. She lay down with her back to Deacon. After a few moments he stood and walked away. 

_Not as big of a fraud as me,_ she thought numbly.

***

Almost everything went according to plan. 

They had managed to transport everyone in without a problem. But the security system activated within minutes as the intrusion was detected. Desdemona sent Nora and Deacon to find the Director’s terminal to override the security program.

Tom marked the location on Nora’s Pip-boy, and they made their way to the location. The alarms had sounded and there was chaos all around them, but somehow they made it, bursting in on what turned out to be...a deathbed. 

“Is that him...is that your son?” asked Deacon. Nora regarded the old man. “My son died when he was taken from me in the Vault. But yes. This is Shaun. ‘Father’ to the Institute.”

“I didn’t expect to see you again, after you disappeared.” wheezed the old man. “Tell me...under what pretense have you justified this atrocity?” 

“Your empire is built on slavery and you terrorize the people above. This is not an atrocity. This is righting a wrong. We’ll free these synths, and stop the production of new ones, so they can live openly on the surface, and survive like everyone else. And frankly, this is self-defense.

“The place is going to burn, Father. We need to get out as many people as we can. Please give me your access code so I can reinstate the relay. 

Father sighed in defeat and provided the code. “Please. Mother. For me, can you do one thing. Please initiate the program called ‘Shaun Protocol V22.c’”

“What does that do?” Nora asked suspiciously. 

“It’s a second chance.”

***

Nora accessed the terminal, and deactivated the security system. Immediately, Tom’s voice echoed over the Institute PA system, advising everyone to proceed to the relay for evacuation, and initiating a countdown. 

She hesitated before running Shaun’s program. She looked at it for almost a full minute, according to the countdown. She didn’t look up when she heard Deacon’s voice. “He’s gone, Nora.”

Her finger hesitated over the keyboard for another moment, and then she clicked enter. A second chance.

***

They made it to the relay with six and a half minutes to spare. The way was mostly clear, Tom having managed to evacuate a large percentage of the population. Nora jogged into the relay room, Deacon close behind. Dez was already there. “We ready to go?” asked Deacon.

“Almost,” replied Dez. “Just...one thing. This kid just showed up. He says he’s your son.”

Nora turned to look. _Second chance._ The words echoed in her head.

That was not her second chance. That was her false son. The imposter Father had created to trick her. The Brotherhood word bubbled to the surface of her brain. _Abomination._

“No. No.” she said coldly. “That is not my son. It is a synth. My son is dead.”

“Please Mom! Don’t leave me here! I want to go with you.”

“You’re not going anywhere with me. YOU’RE NOT MY SON!”

“Please Mom, please don’t leave me here!”

Deacon took her arm. “Nora, we’re here to save synths.”

She looked at him, on the verge of panicking, but recognizing the truth of what he was saying. “I can’t, Deacon. I can’t deal with anything else. Bring it. But keep it away from me. I don’t want it anywhere near me.” Nora’s voice was raising, the strain of the last several days reaching a breaking point. “Keep it away from me, Deacon. Keep it away.”

Deacon hushed her, and nodded at Dez. She ushered the child into the relay and they vanished with a flash.

“Let’s go,” he said, and led her to the relay. 

***

Nora didn’t see the synth child again. They escaped the Institute with time to spare and the detonation occurred right on schedule. 

Nora spent the next eight days barely functional. She lay in the corner, barely awake. When she fell asleep, her dreams were a jumbled nightmare of death, as Arthur, Nate, Glory, and Shaun all died in her arms over and over. Desdemona and the other remaining Railroad were willing to give her the space she needed to recover. Deacon was by her side through most of it, until after a week he told her he had a mission to do, but he’d be back.

She gradually came back to a semblance of normality. Tom tentatively asked her if she would be willing to run a sensor up onto a nearby roof for him. She nodded and took the device. 

***

It was good to be outside again. She sat on the roof as the cool breeze ruffled her hair, her chin on her knees, gazing at the spot where the Prydwen once hovered. Maybe she needed to be outside, on the road, doing things for the people she’d pledged herself to. But there was one thing she had to do first. 

***

It was the early morning hours when she crept out of Headquarters. She didn’t want any questions. She left a note saying she’d be back in a few days and ready to work. She walked the whole way, stopping only to eat. She didn’t encounter much resistance other than bugs on the way, for which she was grateful.

But when she arrived at Listening Post Bravo, it was abandoned. She’d come to apologize. To tell him he’d been right. But there was nobody there to tell. She climbed up onto the helipad and sat cross legged in the centre. The sun was warm. Maybe this was for the best. He wouldn’t have wanted to see her anyways.

She heard a step at her back, and looked up to see Deacon beside her. She wasn’t really surprised that he’d followed her. She moved over slightly so he could sit beside her. “You’re back.”

“I’m back.”

“Your friend went to the Capital Wasteland. I sent him there myself.”

Deacon hesitated a moment. “I sent the synth, Shaun with him. I thought you should know. It was weird. Danse took to him immediately, like he was accepting a mission.”

Nora smiled slightly at the thought. She hoped they would be happy. 

“MacCready is going with him to watch his back. He needed to head back anyways to be with his son. Just needed a push in the right direction.”

Nora leaned against him. “Thanks for being here for me.”

“I told you. I’m in your corner.”

“Yeah, but thanks.”

“Things are going to change,” said Deacon. “Our mission is fundamentally different. We don’t need to free the synths any more, but we need to find them homes. The Institute scientists and civilians too. Apparently some guy named Garvey is starting to re-establish the Minutemen. I think we should try to work with them.”

“It’s as good a place to start as any. Maybe the Commonwealth… maybe I... I don’t know. Maybe this will be the chance to heal.”

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re: Synth Shaun.
> 
> I have to confess, synth Shaun is one of the most horrifying things in this game. I have kids, and I don't care what the circumstances are, I would never be able to accept a duplicate child. But at the same time, I'm pro synth and I think it deserves life. In all my games, I always save Synth Shaun, and then I always send it to a distant settlement. Always. And I often send Danse to take care of it. When it talks the hairs raise on the back of my neck. 
> 
> Anyways, tangent. Sorry.
> 
> I have an epilogue ready too. I was really on a roll tonight.


	29. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 21 YEARS LATER

Deacon stood blank faced as Nora’s funeral pyre was lit. Her death hadn’t been a surprise, she had been ill for several months. Long enough to get everything in order. He listened to her eulogy as it was read out. He wasn’t the one to do it, although he’d been one of the few people she let close to her. Deacon wasn’t big on public speaking.

He’d been there with her for the first several months after the Prydwen and the Institute burned, there for her while her nightmares tapered off, and through the sleepless nights afterwards. She’d never married again, never loved anyone that he was aware of. A proclivity he shared himself. 

She’d devoted herself to the Railroad instead, and after the negotiations and merger, the Minutemen. The two causes synced up well and the Commonwealth was a better place because of her loyalty and dedication. A safer place. Some synths were starting to live openly as citizens, and there was a mostly functional economy and mostly safe roads. The news from other regions wasn’t so good. 

Deacon looked down as a slender hand slipped into his. He squeezed her fingers reassuringly. It was going to be hard, but he knew she’d be ok. He looked down at Molly. She was short, and curvy, like Nora, with the same dark locks. But her face, and especially her piercing blue eyes, that was all Maxson.

“Uncle Deacon,” she said. “Can you tell me about my father?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All done guys. Tell me what you thought. Also....
> 
> *whispers*
> 
> I'm considering a sequel, although there isn't enough plot yet for more than a blurb... the concept has been congealing in my mind.
> 
> I'll post the blurb on my tumblr and see if there's any interest. I have a little bit of fluff for Deacon that I'm working on first, then if there seems to be a demand for the longer fic and if I can come up with a way for my idea to work I will go ahead with it.
> 
> So go check it out.... I will try to get the blurb up tonight. 
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/tessa1978


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